A House Divided
by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne
Summary: The nation hands over the reigns of power to a dictator and the Titans are divided on who their loyalty is with. The Titans will have to choose sides. RobStar and BBRae pairings. The finale is posted. Moving story to the M section.
1. Chapter 1

"Good evening. This is News 7, Jump City's number one evening news. I'm Tricia Hasegawa filling in for Amy Lestition. In tonight's top story the crime rate in Jump City has once again increased at a double digit rate, for the 27th month in a row."

Starfire was seated in the middle of the crescent shaped couch, watching the news broadcast with an otherworldly devotion. Her only companion in the common room was Raven, who was seated in her usual spot, on the far end of the coach, sipping some herbal tea while she read a book written in ancient Sumerian. Robin was in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner as it was his turn. Cyborg and Beast Boy had gone out to check out some new video arcade.

"To discuss this troubling topic we take you to Jump City University, where reporter Chad Buckley is with Professor Janice Sheridan, from the school of social studies … Chad?"

The screen switched from the studio to a conference room at the university.

"Thanks Tricia. The rising crime rate is indeed one that troubles all citizens, and to shed some light on the situation we have Professor Sheridan with us … Dr. Sheridan, good evening and thanks for taking some time to share with us."

"Thanks Chad. The skyrocketing crime rate is troubling everyone. What is difficult to determine is the root cause of the epidemic of lawlessness."

"Dr. Sheridan, most people think that the rising crime rate is tied directly to the economic crisis that grips this country. Are you saying that it isn't quite so simple?"

"Absolutely. While increased poverty can be a cause of increased crime, what my department's research has determined is that the cause goes beyond that. Our society is going through a time of malaise, of hopelessness."

"Hopelessness? Would you care to expound on that?"

"Of course. Take our local superheroes, the Teen Titans."

Raven dog eared her book, closing it as her attention switched to the news broadcast.

"When the Titans first appeared on the scene five years ago, they were a sensation. They gave the citizenry hope, hope that things would change. And they were very effective at apprehending criminals. Unfortunately, the criminals they arrested often escaped convictions based on technicalities. And those who were sentenced often escaped from prison, especially the so called super villains. This has rocked the faith the citizenry has in our civic leadership and to a lesser degree in our protectors, including the police and even the Titans."

"So what does this mean for the average citizen, professor, for the average 'Joe six pack' to coin a phrase?"

"As is often the case with complex problems, Chad, the average Joe expects simple solutions for such problems. Case in point: the rising popularity of Patriot Party presidential candidate Adam Cutler. Mr. Cutler's platform consists of simple platitudes that do not address the real issues we are facing: structural unemployment, racial problems, falling wages, cultural issues, globalization, etc."

"So you're saying that Cutler is promoting an oversimplified solution to our problems?"

"Yes, he is. He's basically telling the electorate what they want to hear, and what they want to hear is that he has simple solutions that will work. He also appeals to their sense of exceptionalism, that we are a special people, superior to others. This is a common tactic that has been used repeatedly throughout history."

"And how does this all tie into the rising crime rate?"

"It ties in because we don't want to face the reality of where we are at. That there are no simple solutions to our problems. These are problems that go beyond even the ability of the Teen Titans to solve."

The news reporter chuckled.

"Careful there, professor. The Titans are our local heroes, everyone loves them."

The professor smiled.

"No one appreciates the Teen Titans more than I do, Chad. Their selfless devotion to the citizens of our city is without equal. But simply apprehending criminals won't solve our problems, it's dealing with the symptoms and not addressing the root cause of our problems …"

The TV suddenly was turned off.

"I've heard enough." Robin grumbled. "What does she think it would be like if we weren't out there? The police would be overwhelmed. No one would be safe."

Raven stood up from her place at the couch.

" She has a point, Robin. We need to address these issues at the core. That doesn't mean that arresting criminals is irrelevant, far from it, but something else needs to be done."

"And what does that mean? What would you do, Raven?"

"I don't know, Robin. I don't have a simple solution. What I do know is that what we as a society are doing isn't working anymore."

"Only because we aren't doing it right. Look at all the criminals who are released early because of prison overcrowding. We need to build more jails. And then there are those who get sent to psychiatric wards or worse, who walk because of a technicality."

"Those 'technicalities' exist to protect innocent citizens from overzealous law enforcers."

"Are you saying that I'm overzealous, Raven? That I'm unfair?"

Raven turned and walked away from Robin, heading off to her room.

"I asked you a question, Raven!"

The sorceress stopped and turned around.

"I recall The Beast incident, when you were prepared to arrest Beast Boy on circumstantial evidence. You weren't even willing to wait for me to wake up to hear what I had to say. You assumed that he hurt me, even though there was absolutely no evidence. This was with a teammate, a friend that you knew. You badgered him and nearly caused a tragedy."

"So I made a mistake."

Raven stared at the floor, and then looked back at her friend.

"That's why we have these rules, Robin. So we don't make mistakes. Yes, they make our job harder, but that's the way it has to be."

She paused.

"Of course, if Cutler and his patriot party win the elections, there is a good chance that our jobs will become a lot easier. You've heard about the legislation he wishes to pass. Legislation which will take usin the wrong direction."

"So what do you propose Raven? The status quo isn't working."

Raven began to walk away again.

"Like I already said, I don't have any easy answers, Robin. It's late, and I don't want to discuss this anymore. Good night."

Raven left the room without looking back. Starfire saw Robin tense up.

"Typical cop out." He fumed at the now closed sliding door. "Sometimes, she just … perplexes me."

"Robin, please do not be angry."

The boy wonder turned to his girl friend.

"You know how I feel about this, Starfire. Criminals belong in jail, not in country club medical wards and especially not back out on the streets. And I'm a firm believer in Occam's razor: the simple solution is the best solution."

The Princess took her boyfriend's arm and led him to the couch, where they both sat down. Robin stared out the window at the illuminated city that lay before them. It shimmered in the twinkling glow of millions of individual lights, some static and many in motion. It was complex, like a hive. Most of the people out there were law abiding citizens, good people, but a small minority were not and it was his job to arrest them and send them to jail.

"Star, how do you handle criminals on Tamaran?"

The red head leaned in to her beau, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It is very simple. If someone is accused of a crime, he or she is brought before the grand ruler, who judges and sentences them. We do not have your complex system of rules regarding arrests and the procurement of evidence. The accuser presents evidence and if the grand ruler deems the evidence to be sufficient then the accused must prove his innocence. The entire process takes perhaps 10 of your earthly minutes."

"Does your system work?"

"Well … the crime rate on Tamaran is very low …"

"Are your jails overflowing?"

"No, we do not have prisons for long term sentences. There are but two forms of punishment for crimes. The most common is exile …"

"Like when you banished your sister?"

"Correct. The other punishment is death. The form of punishment is determined by the grand ruler."

"So you could have sentenced Blackfire to death?"

"Yes, I had the option. There are many on Tamaran who think I was too lenient with her. Some believe that I was influenced by your own earthly customs."

Robin appeared to be lost in thought.

"Robin? What are you thinking?"

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"That I like the Tamaranian way."

Starfire snuggled up with him.

"I do not believe that Raven would agree."

Robin chuckled.

"She's from Azarath. It's a pacifist society and it explains her views. She forgets sometimes that Earth isn't Azarath, that we're different. I still remember the first words I ever heard her say: Sometimes, fighting isn't the answer."

"There is much wisdom in Raven's philosophy, Robin."

"But this isn't Azarath. I agree with Cutler. If we simplify the criminal justice process we'll be able to clean up the streets. Isn't that what good, decent, law abiding citizen's deserve? To be able to go out and not worry about being mugged or having criminals invade their homes?"

"Yes, Robin. That is what people want. They are fed up with the crime."

Robin gave her a loving squeeze.

"Just you wait and see, everything is going to turn out just fine."

_**-( two months later )-**_

It was Election Day and mercifully the city's criminal element decided to take the day off. This wasn't surprising as the past two months had been politically tumultuous as the popularity of the Patriot party had skyrocketed. Polls had indicated the Mr. Cutler would be elected President, easily defeating the mainstream party candidates. What was unexpected was that the Patriot Party was winning seat after seat in both the House of Representatives as well as the Senate and was threatening to claim majorities in both chambers.

After returning from their only mission of the day the Titans stayed glued to the television, watching the election results slowly unfurl across the country. Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy voted for the first time as they were now all 18 or older. Raven and Starfire, who were not citizens, did not vote but spent the afternoon and evening watching the election results.

Starfire watched with the curiosity of a child. The concept of democratic elections was foreign to her as Tamaran was an absolute monarchy. Her attitude toward the event was somewhat naïve, and she clapped every time a candidate was projected to win one office or another, as if it was some sort of TV popularity contest like those shows where amateurs would sing or dance.

Raven watched the screen more grimly and was joined by Beast Boy, who looked glum.

"It looks like they're gonna win majorities in both houses." He announced to no one in particular.

"I think you're right. I don't like this Garfield, not one bit."

Starfire perked up.

"Why are you concerned, Raven? Are they not the Patriot Party? It is my understanding that patriots are people who love their country. They only wish to solve the problems we face."

Raven did not reply and continued to stare at the TV.

"You worry too much, Raven. Cutler is promising the moon, but he won't be able to deliver. His party will lose the midterm election and he'll be a lame duck and won't be reelected." The Tin Man added.

"I hope you're right Cyborg, I hope you're right."

As they continued to watch the election results the TV network announced that they were going to Cutler's campaign headquarters where he was about to give his victory speech.

The screen switched to a stage with a large podium. Behind the podium the wall was draped in American and Patriot Party flags. A large banner with the words "Order, Prosperity, Purity" hung directly behind the podium.

Adam Cutler was a relatively young man. He was handsome and had an athletic build and the crowd roared its approval as he appeared on stage while a religious hymn was played over the loud speakers. He took his place at the podium and acknowledged the crowd with a wave of a hand. He then adjusted the microphone and addressed the audience.

"Today is the dawn of a new America! Of a strong America, one that is not ashamed of its heritage and is willing to stand for what it believes in."

The crowd roared.

"I promised to deal with the wave of crime that is choking our beautiful land and that will be my first priority when I take office. I promised to eradicate these cockroaches, the vermin that plagues our fair nation. I promise that justice will be swift and punishment will be appropriate. There will be no more coddling of criminals, no more charges dropped on technicalities. My opponents claimed that it would be impossible to incarcerate all the criminals, but I'll find a place for them, even if it's in tents in the middle of the desert."

The crowd roared its approval.

"And to help expedite this process, I'm inviting all Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, and Prosecutors to a crime eradication summit to be held before I take office. I am also inviting all superhero groups to the summit, and this includes both the Justice League and the Teen Titans."

Once again, the crowd cheered.

"Smile America, today is a great day. We will eradicate the cancer that plagues us and this time the vermin won't have anywhere to hide. We will take our country back! Americans First! Hold your head high, my fellow citizens, for once again our greatness will shine like the sun and the world will once again respect us."

"America will triumph!"

The camera switched back to the studio.

"And there you have it. Adam Cutler, with his message of hope and renewal has captivated the nation, winning with an unprecedented 80% of the vote. We are also projecting supermajorities in both the House and the Senate. Adam Cutler has been given a full mandate, a carte blanche to remake America into his own vision …"

The TV shut off. Raven fingered the remote control in her hand.

"I'm sorry; I couldn't bear to hear another word." She apologized as she stood up.

Before she left the room an incoming call came through. The video screen came to life and everyone saw that it was Roger Messersmith, Cutler's campaign director.

"Good evening, Titans."

"Good evening, Mr. Messersmith. We weren't expecting a call from you so soon."

The man smiled.

"We move fast, Robin. President Elect Cutler's is going to keep his promises and he will do it quickly. We're scheduling the crime eradication summit for this weekend, and we would be delighted if your team could attend."

Robin beamed his approval.

"We'd be happy to attend, all five of us."

Messersmith smiled again before replying.

"Actually, only you and Cyborg are invited."

"We are? Is there a problem?"

"None at all. You do recall one of our campaign mottos: "Americans first!" Only American born citizens are invited to the summit."

"I'm American!" Beast Boy protested.

"Well, maybe. You were born in Africa, if I'm not mistaken."

"But my parents were Americans, that makes me American born!"

"Yes, that is your story. Since we can't confirm your claim, I'm afraid we'll have to exclude you …"

"What do you mean you can't confirm my claim? I have a US Passport! I'm an American citizen!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Logan, but rules are rules. And that goes for Miss Raven and Miss Starfire, who are both foreigners. And if I'm not mistaken, Miss Starfire is a member of the ruling family of Tamaran. This won't be a problem, will it, Robin?"

The Boy Wonder smiled.

"Not at all, Cyborg and I will be more than happy to attend."

"Wonderful! We look forward to seeing you this Friday, Robin. I think you are going to love President Elect Cutler's vision for law enforcement. I will forward you the details. I need to sign off now; we're a busy team these days."

"Good bye, Mr. Messersmith."

"Goodbye, Robin. America will triumph!"

The video and audio connection was severed. Beast Boy was still livid.

"I am so an American! What the hell is he talking about?"

Raven quietly left the common room.

"And so it begins." She murmured to herself.

_**-( scene break )-**_

I realize that the overall plot of this story will upset some readers. The point of this story isn't so much the political landscape but rather how it will affect the Titans. They are a family, yet they will be affected by the change that is coming. How will they react? Will they stay together?


	2. The Depressing Cafe

Robin turned the yoke on the T-Ship, banking high in the Maryland sky. Thousands of feet below was Camp David, which the outgoing administration was kind enough to allow the President Elect to use for his crime summit. As Robin looked down he could see the huge tent that had been set up to host the conference. It reminded him of the big top where he and his parents performed as the "Flying Graysons" so many years before, before they died at the hands of a thug who sabotaged their trapeze, a hoodlum that Gotham PD was unable to keep in prison, where he belonged.

A steady stream of buses was transporting the law enforcement representatives to the meeting, forming a long line past the security checkpoint, looking like a giant snake as it twisted its way to the entrance.. Robin's radio crackled as it came to life.

"Titans 1, this is your escort, Eye in the Sky. You're cleared to land, have a good conference."

The four F-35 fighter jets that were escorting the T-Ship banked away as Robin took the Titans signature transport in for a landing. The ship was guided to the landing field via a laser beam and as they approached he noticed that there was only one other ship present: the Titans East T-Ship. Bumblebee and Speedy, the only members of Titans East who were citizens, were standing next to their vessel and waved as the original T-Ship came in for a landing.

Robin and Cyborg hopped out of their respective cockpits, once having secured the T-Ship. They greeted their friends and fellow Titans with handshake and some backslapping was in order. Cyborg was the first to speak, and he got to the point.

"So how did the rest of your team handle not being invited?"

"Not well, Mas y Menos quit the team and returned to Guatemala. They're talking about starting a Titans branch south of the border with Pantha. Aqualad left for Atlantis the day Cutler won the election, so for now it's just Speedy and me … say … where's Beast Boy?" Bumblebee remarked.

"There was some issue regarding the validity of his citizenship …" Robin began to reply.

"Say what? You gotta be kidding! BB's as American as Apple Pie …"

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding and will be sorted out."

"I see." Speedy interjected. "How about Raven?"

"Oh you know her, she's griping but she'll get over it." Robin continued.

Cyborg looked around, as if looking for something that was missing.

"Where's the Justice League?"

"They aren't coming. Most of them aren't US citizens and those who are decided to boycott the summit."

"What?" Robin hissed. "Boycott? Why would they do that?"

Speedy crossed his arms.

"Well, you know, the US government and the League have been butting heads for years. And it didn't help when Amanda Waller had Supergirl cloned …"

"Oh yeah, the Galatea incident." Cyborg interrupted.

"Exactly. Plus several key Justice League members spoke out against Cutler before the election. Even the Bat trashed Cutler, what's with him, Robin?" Speedy continued.

"Don't ask me, we parted ways years ago."

They continued to chat as they approached the large big top. There was a large entrance where the police chiefs were lined up, going through metal detectors and other security screening. A smaller entrance to the left was labeled "Superheroes Only". Roger Messersmith stood at the entrance and waved at the four Titans.

"Robin! Bumblebee! I was beginning to worry that you and your Titans weren't going to show up."

Robin smiled and shook his hand.

"Not a chance of that happening."

Messersmith grinned as he led them into the tent.

"Come, come, we have some VIP seats set aside for you. And don't worry about screening, it doesn't apply to you."

The big top was quickly filling up. It was perhaps the biggest tent Robin had ever seen, and as a former circus performer he had seen his share. There was easily room for 20,000 people. At the far end of the tent was a dais, which was decorated with American and Patriot Party Flags. There were also banners proclaiming "Order, Prosperity, Purity" and "America will triumph!". Messersmith led them to the dais and showed them to their seats just as Adam Cutler arrived.

The President Elect greeted them enthusiastically and there was a quick photo shoot of Cutler with the four Titans. As soon as that ended Messersmith beckoned them to sit down. Cutler approached the podium with his arms raised in triumph.

"Remember when they said we couldn't win? When they said we were crack pots? That no one would vote for us? Well guess what? THEY WERE WRONG!"

Thousands of police chiefs and sheriffs rose to their feet and responded with thunderous applause. The guests of honor on the dais, including the four Titans, also rose and applauded.

"I made a promise during my campaign, to make the streets in America so safe that no one will have to worry about criminals robbing or hurting them. And with your help we are going to do this. Now I know what you are thinking, how am I going to do this with my local police force?"

Cutler stopped and drank a sip of water.

"You have nothing to worry about. I'm going to give you the tools you need to sweep the vermin off the streets. There will grants so that you can hire all the officers and deputies that you need. And they will be well equipped and trained, nothing but the best for your troops. Your departments will get everything they need. But that is only half of the story"

He paused and smiled before continuing.

"How many of you have faced legal harassment for simply doing your jobs? How many of you received unfounded accusations of abuse and heavy handedness, simply because you refused to coddle criminals? And how many times did all of your hard work go to waste because of a simple technicality, where some shyster was able to get that wretched vermin set free, mocking your devotion to the public in your noble quest to protect them?"

There were angry shouts from the crowd, which grew in their intensity.

"You're upset and you have every right to feel that way. The Patriot Party will pass legislation to make your jobs easier. We will repeal laws that protect criminals. No more releases based on technicalities. No more worries about accusations of abuse. You're law enforcement officers and you have a job to do. My job is to make your job easier and that's a promise I intend to keep."

The audience broke out into applause.

"And don't worry about where we will keep the scum locked away. We have already selected key sites in Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas where we will build new prison facilities. And these won't be those posh country clubs where we keep them today. No sir! These will be like the old prisons, where the inmates live in Spartan conditions and will perform heavy labor to pay for their own incarceration! Why should the victims be forced to pay for that? Not on my watch!"

The applause grew even louder.

"And finally, there is the issue of Supervillains."

The crowd grew silent.

"In that past, we've been at the mercy of self appointed vigilantes to fight against these super powered monsters. I invited the Justice League to join us today, but they declined our invitation."

Boos and cat calls echoed throughout the huge tent.

"Unfortunately the Justice League sees itself as being beyond our rules and laws. And to be honest they haven't been all that effective in the battle against these monsters. The Injustice League not only remains at large …"

Cutler raised a sheet of paper and waved it in the air.

"… but I have been informed by the Secret Service that I have been targeted for assassination by these criminals."

More boos and hisses are heard.

"I knew that this was going to be a dangerous job when I ran for President. I knew that groups like the Injustice League, The Brotherhood of Evil and others would target me. But I stand resolute in my determination, and I also do not stand alone. For while the Justice League has forsaken us in our time of need, other heroes have risen to the challenge, ready to stand at our side during this time of change. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you The Teen Titans!"

The four Titans rose to their feet and were greeted by raucous applause. Cutler gestured to Robin to approach the podium and turned over the microphone to the Boy Wonder. Cyborg saw a pleased look on Robin's face as he adjusted the microphone to his lower stature.

"Mr. President Elect, I want to thank you for inviting us to this summit and for including us in your vision to fight crime in our nation. When the Teen Titans were founded over 5 years ago our vision and mission were local: to protect our home town of Jump City. Today, it is our entire nation that is under attack and while the Justice League has declined your request for help, the Teen Titans stand tall and ready to help. We are at your service, Mr. President elect."

Cutler began to applaud and was joined by the audience.

"Thank you, Robin, you have our gratitude. Your task is daunting and I promise you that the Titans won't fight it alone. I intend to recall our military forces from around the world and bring them home to assist you in your noble quest to free us from the scourge of supervillains."

The entire audience rose to its feet and began to cheer. Cutler waved his acknowledgment and waited for them to be silent.

"We have much to do today. In your packets you will find your schedule for the day, including which breakout sessions you have been assigned to attend. Lunch will be served at noon and we will have you on your way back home to your jurisdictions before the day is over."

He paused.

"Thank you and remember, America will triumph!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

It was the morning of Presidential inauguration. The five Titans were watching the coverage, with the usual collection of pundits and other talking heads discussing what they believed would happen to Cutler and his agenda. One group was convinced that Cutler would be unable to get his proposed legislation past the Supreme Court, including his promises to abolish Miranda rights and house convicts in tents in the nation's hinterlands. The other camp was convinced that the courts would not obstruct him because of the clear mandate that he received from the voters.

As the discussion became somewhat animated, it was interrupted by a news flash.

"This is Richard Jensen reporting from the Capital. Last night, in the early hours of the morning, seven Supreme Court Justices were murdered in their sleep along with their spouses. The seven Justices were from across the political spectrum and the FBI just received a message from the Injustice League, claiming responsibility for this heinous act. We take you now to President Elect Cutler, who has a statement to make."

The camera quickly changed to another location, where Cutler was standing behind a hastily assembled podium in what appeared to be a ballroom in a luxury hotel. He was surrounded by grim faced Secret Service agents, many who were brandishing weapons. Cutler looked like he had just drunk some sour milk as his expression was beyond anger, he looked furious. He then focused on the camera in front of him.

"My fellow Americans, this cowardly act was meant to intimidate us as it was an assault on the very laws and values we all hold dear as Americans. The Injustice League will be held accountable for this despicable and vile act and they will understand that they don't intimidate us. After I am sworn in this afternoon as President my first act will be to sign an executive order giving the Teen Titans full authority to track down and bring these terrorists to justice. We will of course replace our fallen heroes with new Justices, as a sign to our enemies that we won't back down … America will triumph!"

The camera went back to the newscaster in the studio, who began to profile the seven victims and their spouses. Robin turned off the set and addressed his team.

"You heard the President; starting tomorrow we have our orders. We will find the murderers and bring them to justice."

Raven was sitting on the couch with her arms crossed.

"Robin, doesn't this strike you as being extremely convenient for Cutler?"

The Boy Wonder glared at his teammate.

"Are you accusing the President …"

"I'm not accusing anyone, Robin, and he isn't the president, not until he's sworn in this afternoon."

"Then what are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that this will help Cutler immensely. He's going to replace those seven justices with cronies, puppets who will rubber stamp any new laws that the Patriot Party decides to legislate, regardless of their constitutionality."

"Maybe he needs that kind of flexibility, Raven. The last thing we need right now is to have the courts interfere with our mission…"

"Robin, are you even listening to what you're saying?" Raven replied in her monotone.

"Are you?" He countered.

"This is Red X all over again." She muttered to herself.

"How dare you even bring that up? I was doing what I had to do to stop Slade. What were you doing? Meditating in your room? Drinking tea?"

Starfire leaped between the two Titans, who were exchanging angry glares.

"Enough! Friends do not behave this way!"

Raven turned and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Robin snarled at her.

"I'm going out." She replied in a curt voice.

Beast Boy intercepted her.

"Raven, I can go with you …"

She raised her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Thanks, Beast Boy, but right now I need to be alone."

Raven phased into the ground and disappeared. Robin glared at the spot where she stood before, as if willing her to return. He then frowned and turned to face his remaining team.

"We don't need her. We meet in the conference room in ten minutes, where I'll debrief you and Titans East on the latest intel we have for the Injustice League. We're going to find them and make them pay."

Beast Boy stared at the spot where Raven stood moments earlier. He couldn't help but wonder if she was right. He had a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. This situation, it was unprecedented. The President and government, they were the good guys, right? Cutler would never do something like what Raven was alluding. Murder most of the Supreme Court, just to be able to replace them with Justices who would be friendly to him and his agenda? And blame the Injustice League?

It couldn't be true. It was impossible. That sort of thing, that didn't happen here, it couldn't.

He dropped his head.

But what if she was right?

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven's soul self appeared in a dark alley and she emerged from the dark raven that landed on the ground. In front of her was a dark door that looked old and battered. There was no signage to identify the establishment and it needed none. This was the rear entrance to the "depressing coffee shop" as Starfire once described it years ago, and it was the sorceress' preferred entry into the coffee shop, as it allowed a modicum of privacy and anonymity. Raven was about to open the door when she was startled by a familiar, deep monotone.

"I knew you would come here eventually." His voice pierced the silence like a cold dagger.

She didn't need to turn around to see who it was. She recognized his voice immediately.

"What do you want, Slade?"

He calmly approached her, with his arms behind his back.

"I believe that we both have President Cutler on our minds. We both believe that he is a threat."

She turned to face her nemesis.

"For once, I agree with you. What do you know about the Supreme Court assassinations?"

"That it wasn't the Injustice League."

"That much is plainly obvious. So why are you telling me this?"

"He's going to come after us, Raven."

"Us? You seem to forget that you're the only villain here."

Slade chuckled.

"Do you really believe that he doesn't know your secret, Raven? I know he does. He's been gathering information on all super heroes. Paying handsomely for it, if I might add."

"So you told him about Trigon? How much did he have to pay you for that?"

Slade shook his head.

"Someone else told him. He also knows that we worked together to defeat the big red guy. So you see Raven, in his eyes you are doubly tainted. Not only are you Trigon's daughter, you and I are … associates."

Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because once again we have a common enemy. One who won't stop until he destroys us. Cutler is a lot more dangerous than he appears. He's more than a brown shirted, neo Fascist thug. He's a genius and wants complete power over this nation."

"That sounds like you Slade."

"Touché, Raven, but there is more. Something you already know … and it's only a question of time…"

"Robin." She said breathlessly.

"Correct. Mark my words, Raven, sooner or later, Cutler will declare you an enemy of the state and order Robin to kill you."

Raven balled her fists, in a vain attempt to control her displeasure with his words.

"You're wrong. He would never do that. The Teen Titans don't kill."

Slade turned and began to walk away.

"You go ahead and believe that, Raven. But consider this: even if Robin only captures you, he'll turn you over to Cutler's secret police, and trust me, there will be secret police. Once you've been handed over, pumped full of inhibitol so you can't use your powers … you'll be as good as dead."

Slade stopped walking and addressed the sorceress without facing her.

"I know you used to have a safe house, a place to hide, before you Titans built your tower. A word of advice … get another one, in another city, and procure some of those nice holographic rings that Cyborg makes … you're going to need them."

He resumed walking away.

"And be prepared to take the changeling with you. Cutler will also declare him an enemy of the state."

"Beast Boy? Why him?"

"Because like you, he is different, too different, plus he is your friend. You both fail Cutler's purity test. Why do you think you were not invited to his little confab? Beast Boy is American, why do you think he was excluded?"

"Messersmith said there was doubt about Beast Boy's citizenship."

"And you believe that pathetic excuse?"

She dropped her head.

"No, I don't."

"Good, at least you are not completely in denial, there's hope for you yet."

He turned around and tossed a data pad at her, which she caught with a puzzled look on her face.

"It has instructions on how to stay in contact with me, without revealing the location of your safe house … or mine … good luck, Raven … you're going to need it."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Interesting how we sometimes find allies where we least expect them.

Also, more than a few of you noticed the parallel between Adam Cutler and Adam Sutler. The similarity is far from coincidental.

Some of you mentioned that BB was born in the USA. This is true in the comics. In the show, they told us next to nothing of his background, other than he was once with the Doom Patrol. They didn't even mention the virus Sakutia. So I decided he was born in Africa. Hey, if Yong Justice can change his back story. why can't I? :-)

I am also pleasantly surprised by the initial response to this story. To be honest, I was expecting it to be ignored. Instead I received 17 reviews in less than two days. Thanks!


	3. Loyalty and Mercy

Raven sat on her bed, staring at the datapad Slade gave her. It contained a single app, one that would show a website URL with a password that was good for a 5 minute window. Every 5 minutes the URL would change along with its password, making the website elusive and thus secure. She rocked her right leg impatiently, pondering what to make of Slade's offer.

What he had told her was fundamentally true; they shared a common enemy, even if Robin was too dense to realize it. She of course hadn't told anyone about her encounter with the one eyed villain, especially not Robin. At first she considered telling Beast Boy, but decided that that action would be premature at this point. The possibility remained, remote as it was, that Cutler was just a blowhard and his party would lose control of both houses in just two years.

For some reason, she didn't believe that for a second. She recalled Slade's admonition to set up a safe house. What Slade, and none of her teammates, knew was that she already had such a place in Canada. It was a condominium in a high rise in Vancouver. It was titled under an alias: Rachel Roth. She visited it occasionally, teleporting to it while her teammates slept, and would perform light housekeeping and refreshed the pantry when she was there.

She purchased the apartment shortly after the Galatea incident, when the US government cloned Supergirl to create a weapon to use against the Justice League. From that point forward she recognized the need to have a permanent secret safe house, in case the government ever decided to crack down on the Titans.

Her original safe house, if it could be called that, was a rundown apartment in Jump City's east side that she briefly rented, until Robin built the Tower with money she later learned was provided by Batman. Even though a year had passed since the incident with the Gordanians and the impromptu team had been informally working together during that time, she almost declined Robin's invitation to move into the Tower.

Her fear had been that Robin would figure out who she really was and kick her out. It was a fear that proved to be unfounded, of course. The Boy Wonder had his idiosyncratic quirks, but he was loyal to his friends. There was no way Slade could be right, Robin would never betray them to Cutler. But then … there was that whole incident with the Beast, when Robin was ready to arrest Beast Boy and toss him into the jail on the flimsiest of evidence. Robin was loyal to his friends … but he was even more loyal to the rule of law.

Raven looked at the datapad before hopping off of her bed, gliding over to her desk. She activated her laptop computer and opened a web browser. She stared at the datapad again, biting her lower lip. The app had a single button, labeled "Get Login". She pressed the screen with her fingertip and it immediately reacted, displaying the following:

_www . lkjegkjerjh . com_

_login: Raven_

_password: uyehuihiue_

_This URL and login will expire in 5 minutes._

The expiration timer began to count down and Raven bit her lip a second time. After waiting 10 seconds or so she typed in the URL. The website displayed a login screen but offered no other clue as to its purpose. She typed in her login and password and pressed the 'Enter' button.

A video of Slade appeared on the screen.

"I see you were curious enough to visit, Raven. Maybe you trust me, maybe you don't. For now, we can leave messages on this website for each other. The website server is offshore and is, for the time being, safe from Cutler's intrusion. Nonetheless it will be prudent to keep our locations hidden when the time comes and Cutler makes his move, which will be sooner than you might think. That's all for now. Until next time, my dear sorceress."

Raven clicked on a button labeled "Leave Text Message". Her reply was terse: "We'll be in touch."

Raven closed her laptop. Part of her couldn't believe what she was doing, forming an alliance with Slade. She knew that she couldn't trust him, but at this point he was the only ally she had, other than perhaps Beast Boy. She made a mental note to visit the safe house in the next few days, to stock it up with non perishables and to bring some of Beast Boy's own supplies and clothing. Hopefully he wouldn't notice that they were missing for a while.

_**-( scene break )-**_

_One month later._

Starfire came running into the common room and turned on the giant TV. The national news was beginning, and the top story was that the final Supreme Court nominee had been confirmed by the Senate. Beast Boy was also watching the news. He didn't share the Princess' upbeat mood. He and Raven had been following the nomination process closely. Each of the seven nominees had some experience on the bench, but if there was one thing they all shared, it was that their judicial careers had been unexceptional. Another commonality they shared was that there were neither registered as Republicans or Democrats, all had been long term "Independents" until they recently reregistered as members of the Patriot Party.

As far as the witch and the changeling were concerned, that was a smoking gun that Cutler had indeed loaded the court with stooges that would do his beckoning. The only question that remained was how far they would they be willing to go.

The search for the Injustice League proved to be fruitless. Robin spent most of his time brooding in his office, obsessing much as he did during the old Slade days. Raven wondered if this was just a red herring to keep the Titans busy chasing their collective tails. Was it possible that perhaps she was being too paranoid? The old saying "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you" rang in her head.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the next news item. The blond female anchor reported that Control Freak, who was captured a few weeks earlier by the Titans, was shot and killed when he attempted to escape from the Jump City detention center. He was taken down by the new paramilitary security forces that had been sent to replace the state prison guards that used to guard the prison.

Raven was sipping on a mug of herbal tea when she heard the news, and she dropped it onto the floor, where it shattered into countless pieces.

Cutler had warned prisoners, on national TV, that if they attempted to escape that lethal force would be used against them. Some civic groups attempted to legally block the executive order, but now that he had stacked the court there was little hope of that happening.

Raven turned to Starfire, her face was still reeling from the shocking news. Starfire seemed to read her mind.

"That is very sad news. The Control Freak was not one of our more dangerous criminals … but he knew what the new rules were."

"Yes … he did." Raven replied, still in a daze. "Starfire, do you think he would have tried to escape, with that threat?"

Starfire shrugged her shoulders.

"Perhaps … he did not believe it … he has escaped many times before."

"Maybe" Raven replied.

"Or maybe, he didn't try to escape." She muttered to herself.

_**-( scene break )-**_

_Four weeks later…_

Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing Mega Monkeys on the GameStation. It had been a quiet week, with no missions. Over the past month they apprehended Mumbo, Johnny Rancid and Mad Mod, but not in the act of committing any crime. The Justice Department had issued warrant for their arrest as well as for all of the usual criminals the Titans had tangled with over the years. Those three had the misfortune of being captured and handed over to the FBI. All three of them suffered the same fate as Control Freak: It was reported that each, in a separate incident, had attempted to escape and were killed in the attempt.

Mad Mod was the last one to die, over a week before, and from that point on all of Jump City's supervillains simply vanished. The word on the street was that they had all either fled the country or were getting ready to leave.

The video game ended the way it usually did, with Cyborg as the winner. The usual post game banter and trash talking was absent and both young men placed their game controllers on the coffee table, no longer interested in playing. A long silence ensued.

"Cyborg?"

"Yeah, B?"

The changeling hesitated before asking t he question that needed to be asked.

"Do you think they were really trying to escape?"

The Tin Man shrugged his shoulders.

"Isn't that what they always do?"

Beast Boy shook his head.

"Then why are all of the other villains fleeing the country?"

Cyborg grinned.

"Cuz they know we'll kick their butts?"

The changeling frowned at his friend.

"I'm serious, Cyborg. Something's wrong, really wrong."

The cybernetic Titan snorted derisively.

"You gotta stop listening to Raven."

"I think she's right."

Cyborg's demeanor changed to dead serious.

"You do? Aw, c'mon! There's no way that could be possible."

The changeling stood up and began to pace around the common room, fidgeting nervously with his fingers.

"I think Raven's right. She's always right."

Cyborg grinned.

"OK, I get it now … you have a crush on her!"

"What!"

"You heard me … Raven and BB … sitting in a tree."

"I'M SERIOUS!" The changeling shouted.

Cyborg burst out laughing.

"I know you are, B … look, just relax … nothing is going on."

"Nothing? NOTHING? In case you haven't noticed, Control Freak, Mumbo, Johnny Rancid and Mad Mod are all dead!"

"I know B, I know. They knew what would happen if they tried to escape. And why are you so upset? Those dudes all tried to kill us, in fact more than once. If you ask me, they had it coming."

Beast Boy made a sweeping gesture with his arm.

"I'm not buying it, Cy, not for a moment!"

Before the tin man could reply the Towers alarms began to blare and the matching red lights began to flash. The two men ran to the mission console as Robin, Starfire and Raven ran into the room. Cyborg's fingers danced across the keyboard.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

Cyborg finished typing and a map appeared on the giant screen.

"The police located the Hive-5's hideout. They want us to go in and take them out."

"Take them out?" Raven asked.

"I believe that our friend Cyborg meant that we will capture them."

Raven looked unconvinced.

"Why are we even pursuing them? They haven't done anything in months."

"The president has issued an order for their arrest." Robin snapped at her.

Raven crossed her arms.

"Oh I forgot, he signed legislation that gave him that power, and his Supreme Court rubberstamped it, even though it's clearly illegal."

Robin gestured angrily at the sorceress.

"We don't make the laws Raven, and we don't interpret them. Our job is to enforce the law, end of story! Understood?"

Her face became as hard as flint.

"Crystal clear, boy blunder."

Robin slammed his foot onto the floor.

"That does it! You're staying behind."

"I'll do no such thing."

"Yes you will, or so help me I'll …"

"You'll do what? Arrest me and hand me over to Cutler's thugs? So I can become another prisoner killed while trying to escape?"

Rabin stared at her, a scowl forming on his face. Starfire came to his side, caressing his back in an attempt to soothe him.

"We don't have any time to waste." He growled. "You're with us, but we're discussing this later."

Raven saw Beast Boy heave a sigh of relief out of the corner of her eye. In her anger she failed to recognize how close she came to an outright brawl with Robin.

"Fine. Let's go." She responded in an ice cold monotone.

Robin turned to face the giant windows in the common room and pointed at the city that surrounded their Island.

"Titans, Go!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

The five Titans converged on the location indicted by their all purpose communicators. It was a derelict cargo ship anchored on the south side of the bay, near the shipyards. It was heavily rusted and stank of motor oil, dead fish and seagull droppings. The five converged in a dark alley, maintaining their stealth.

"They're hiding here? It's gross." The changeling whispered.

"Could you think of a better place to hide if you didn't want to be found?" Raven whispered in reply.

Robin pulled a pair of collapsible binoculars from his belt and scanned the exterior of the ship. After a few minutes he put them away.

"I don't see anything, they must be deep inside … Raven, can you teleport us in to the ship's interior?"

She nodded her affirmation.

"Good. OK team, I can't say this enough, we need to be quiet. I want to catch them off guard. They'll no doubt do everything possible to escape and I don't want that to happen. Once we're on board we'll split up. If you find them signal the rest of the team silently with your communicator. Ready?"

One by one they whispered yes, after which Robin nodded at Raven. She raised her arms and her signature black hemisphere appeared, engulfing them. They all felt the deadly chill of Raven's dark energy, which they were now accustomed to experiencing, and materialized in one of the ship's cargo holds.

Without saying a word they separated. Raven headed down to the lower decks, phasing through the ship's interior walls. Starfire silently glided away, picking up speed until she vanished down a hallway. Beast Boy morphed into a bobcat and took off in the opposite direction while Robin silently ran down a flight of stairs. Cyborg stayed put, using his sensors to probe the ship.

Five minutes quickly passed. They covered a lot of ground, but the ship, which was scheduled to be ripped apart and sold as scrap, was huge. Finally, Starfire found them in what was left of the engine room. At first she only saw Gizmo and See-More, who were huddled around what appeared to be some sort of radio, which occasionally would sputter static over its loudspeaker.

"Gizmo, you said they'd come back for us, right?" See-More's voice warbled, unable to hide his fear.

"I said they would, snot brain, now shut up!"

See-More winced at the rebuke.

"Why didn't they wait for us?"

"Because we were late. Would you have waited?"

"Maybe."

"No, you wouldn't, so stop lying. Everyone's leaving; you know that it isn't safe here anymore."

See-more nodded.

"I don't want to go to jail Gizmo …"

"You mean you don't want to die. You've been in jail plenty of times, we all have … but now … it's different."

See-More allowed a pathetic whimper to escape his lips.

"Will you calm down? They'll be here to pick us up tonight."

Starfire glided away from the door and using her communicator she silently summoned her teammates, telling them that only Gizmo and See-More were present and that they were going to be leaving the city tonight.

Within moments Raven phased out of the ground. Seconds later, in the form of a sparrow, Beast Boy arrived, morphing back into his human form as he landed. Robin and Cyborg arrived together 10 seconds later. Starfire whispered her full report to her teammates. Once she was done Robin peeked into the engine room, verifying that the situation remain unchanged. He gestured with his arm, telling his teammates to get ready.

"Titans, Go!"

The five teens charged into the engine room.

"Sludge!" Gizmo shouted as got up and began to run. Raven trapped him in a dark energy bubble, raising him into the air.

See-More didn't run. Instead, he dropped to his knees.

"Please don't arrest us Robin, please! We're gonna leave tonight, please don't arrest us."

Robin stood before the Cyclops, his arms crossed and with a stern look on his face.

"You know I can't do that. The law says that you have to go to prison."

"Noooo!" See-More shrieked as he crab walked away from Robin.

Robin smiled while he shook his head.

"What are you afraid of? You've been to jail before."

"Are you really that clueless, pitsniffer?" Gizmo shouted from inside Raven's dark bubble.

"What do you mean, Gizmo?" Starfire asked.

"You mean you don't know?"

"What should we know?"Cyborg asked.

"No one gets out of there alive!" See-More shrieked.

"Then don't try to escape, that shouldn't be too hard." Robin replied.

"You don't get it. None of those people tried to escape. They were murdered." Gizmo interjected.

"Murdered? Oh please."

Raven leaned towards Robin and whispered. "I don't sense any deception from him. He's always been easy to read … unlike Terra."

Robin frowned.

"And how would you know this, Gizmo?"

"Jinx actually got out, she escaped."

"What? We haven't heard anything about this!"

"Of course not. They aren't gonna admit that someone got away. And they know she won't be back, Jinx is long gone, she left the country with the rest of the team."

"Then why are you still here?"

"We missed the boat! We were late and they left without us." See-More wailed.

"Robin, See-More is terrified." Raven whispered to him. "I think he's telling the truth."

"I agree, boyfriend Robin. Perhaps we should allow them to escape and leave the country."

"Starfire, you can't be serious!"

"I agree with Star." Cyborg interrupted. "We should investigate this first before we arrest anyone else."

"You won't find anything. Jinx was the only one to see it. When she was escaping, she saw Mad Mod being told to run. He refused, so they aimed their guns at him. He panicked and began to run. That's when they shot him."

"You expect me to take a convicted felon's word over the police? Are you crazy?" Robin snarled.

The room fell silent. Finally Starfire broke the silence.

"Robin, please, let us not arrest them at this time."

Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg agreed.

The Boy Wonder groaned his displeasure.

"Fine! I can't believe I'm doing this."

He turned towards Gizmo and See-More.

"You have until tomorrow morning to get out of here and I'll be watching. And don't come back, ever! If you do, there won't be any second chances. Understood?"

The two villains nodded their understanding. Raven released Gizmo, who landed on the floor with a dull thud. The five Titans left silently, and Raven was the last one to leave the room. Just as she was about to cross the door's threshold she heard See-More's voice.

"Raven?"

She turned around.

"Yes?"

"Thank you. I'll never forget, I promise."

She nodded.

"Whatever you do, do not return, and don't commit any crimes wherever you go. You could be extradited back to the USA."

As she left, she saw the super sighted villain turn pale out of the corner of her eye.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Things continue to build up!

Someone asked in which Young Justice Episode did BB make his appearance.

The answer is … none.

That was a trick answer. Beast Boy did not appear, but a pre Beast Boy Garfield Logan did. And he received an emergency blood transfusion from Miss Martian. Will that be the source of his future shape shifting abilities? Will Beast Boy make a later appearance? It was episode 21: Image. You can probably watch it on youtube.

And thanks for your continued interested.

And for the Fascist who flamed me (you know who you are, I deleted your anonymous review): go read something else, or maybe watch Fox News.


	4. The Letter

Raven heaved a huge sigh as she entered her room. She waved her right hand and several candles lit up by themselves, illuminating the room in their warm, soothing glow. While serenity pervaded her room, Raven's mind was in turmoil. She parted her drapes and peered at the night time skyline, which shimmered in the dark.

Raven, like all of her teammates, was now an adult. She was 19 years old and had physically changed little since her teenage years. She liked to think that she had matured, but hearing about Jinx witnessing Mad Mod's murder unnerved her. The pink haired enchantress had returned to her life of crime, after ending her brief relationship with Kid Flash. Part of Raven wanted to agree with Robin, to dismiss Jinx's testimony as unreliable or even false. But deep in her heart she knew it was true.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud knock on her door.

"Raven? Are you in there?"

She opened the door with another gesture of her hand. Beast Boy entered and the door slid shut behind him. Unlike Raven he had changed. He was now slightly taller and more muscular. What remained unchanged was his happy, go lucky demeanor, which was absent at the moment. He walked up to Raven's bed, sitting down on its edge. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and cradling his face with his hands.

"They were scared, Raven, I could feel it with my animal senses."

He sat up straight, lifting his head.

"Is is really true? Are they really murdering supervillains?"

Raven sat down next to the changeling.

"Yes, Garfield, they are … and it won't stop there."

"You mean …"

"Yes, they will eventually come after us. Once the supervillains are all gone, we'll be the next threat to eliminate."

"I was afraid you were going to say that … so … what can we do?"

"Long term … I don't know yet … short term … we need to be ready to leave before they come for us."

Beast Boy stared at the floor.

"When will that happen?"

Raven took his hand and squeezed it.

"I don't know, but I'll be ready … and you can come with me … if you want to."

Beast Boy returned the hand squeeze.

"Well, maybe it won't come to that, right?"

"Maybe … but Garfield … don't tell the others about this, not even Cyborg. If Robin finds out, he'll blow a fuse."

He nodded his head in understanding.

"Yeah, he would … is there anything I can do?"

She released his hand.

"Actually there is … I need you to ask Cyborg to make us some holorings. Tell him that we're going to go out on dates and we want to do it anonymously."

He snickered halfheartedly.

"He's gonna seriously rib me. He's actually been teasing me about you lately…"

"Let me guess, he's sung the kissing in a tree song?"

"How'd you guess?" He laughed.

"This is Cyborg we're talking about, after all, I expected nothing less … which is good … it will provide cover for us."

He leaned towards Raven.

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I just want to be prepared."

"You realize that we'll have to date to make it seem real."

"I know … and I don't mind." She smiled at him. "But I get to pick the movies."

He smiled back at her.

"You got a deal."

"Good, but one more thing … no kissing. We just go out."

"Aw, you're no fun."

_**-( scene break )-**_

_Four months later._

There hadn't been a sign of a Supervillain in all of California in almost three months. More conventional crime was at an all time low as any perps who were arrested and convicted, which was virtually all of them, were being shipped to the new prison city that had been opened in central Nevada.

Robin continued to follow leads for the Injustice League, but kept hitting dead ends. At Starfire's insistence they resumed their dating life with a vengeance, and they were going out every other night, and unlike Raven and the changeling they did not disguise themselves with holorings.

A positive side effect of this arrangement was that Robin was more relaxed and the environment at the Tower once again began to resemble the "good old days", which came as a relief for all, especially for Raven.

The sorceress was in the garage, helping Cyborg perform some sort of upgrade to the T-Car's suspension, something about new technology shock absorbers. She knew the upgrade would make no real difference to the car's performance, but the task was almost therapeutical for the Tin Man, and it gave her an opportunity to spend some "quality" time with her friend, plus she actually enjoyed working on the T-Car. While she was turning wrenches she was able to forget the troubles of the world outside the Tower.

Cutler's popularity continued to soar. He gave long winded speeches on TV on a daily basis. Raven forced herself to watch them with Robin and Starfire. Beast Boy always made himself scarce when the speeches were broadcast, usually playing videogames with Cyborg in the new game room. For some reason there wasn't a speech scheduled for that day, which was a relief for Raven.

To his credit, Cutler had been speaking the past month about his economic policies which would increase employment and reduce reliance on foreign imports. Still, as she mounted a new shock absorber, she had a sense of dread in her stomach, the feeling of the calm before the storm.

She knew that it was almost lunch time and that Robin and Starfire were preparing the meal. She was starting to feel hungry and Cyborg tossed a wrench back into the toolbox, apparently reading her mind.

"Lunch time. Let's wash up and get some grub." He said as he headed to the sink, where he began to wash his hands.

Raven slipped out of her mechanic's coveralls, stripping down to her leotard. She washed her hands and as she was slipping her cape back on the Tower's alarms went off. They both took off running to the common room.

An unexpected sight greeted them when they arrived. Robin and Starfire were both staring at the screen, both were pale with shock. Beast Boy made eye contact with her, and from the look on his face he was clearly horrified with what was on the screen.

Raven looked at the screen and gasped. A giant crater dominated the screen, perfectly round in its symmetry. It wasn't clear what had happened. And then she read the caption on the bottom of the screen:

"_Brotherhood of Evil destroys Atlanta with a black hole machine."_

Raven couldn't hear the news anchor; all she heard was white noise, a buzzing sound. She shook her head and was able to hear the woman.

"At 1:33 local time the Brotherhood of Evil activated a black hole machine they managed to smuggle into downtown Atlanta. The radius of total destruction was 20 miles and the crater is 5 miles deep. It is believed that everyone within a 23 mile radius died as they were sucked into the artificial black hole. At this point it is believed that as many as 4 million people died in this cowardly and unprovoked attack."

Raven, being an empath, was beginning to feel the collective shock of Jump City's near 2 million residents, who were also watching the news. She fought back as it threatened to overwhelm her but the room began to spin around her. She felt her legs turn rubbery and she began to fall. She felt a pair of strong arms catch her and heard Beast Boy shouting "put her on the couch."

She opened her eyes and saw Robin's face above.

"You'll be OK Raven, just relax." She heard Dick's soothing voice as he gently deposited her on the crescent shaped couch.

The spinning finally began to subside and Raven sat up, clutching her head in her hands.

"Are you OK, Rave?" She heard Beast Boy's voice. "You look like you wanna hurl."

"I'll live." She croaked as she leaned back against the couch. The spinning around her finally came to a halt and that was when she once again became aware of the news anchor on the TV.

"… the Congress and Senate have granted special temporary emergency powers to the President. Effective immediately the entire nation is under martial law and a 24 curfew is immediately in effect until further notice. The President will be contacting the Teen Titans, who have dealt with the Brotherhood of Evil in the past …"

Suddenly, it hit Raven. Cutler had been given emergency powers, powers he would never relinquish. That meant only one thing.

It was over. Cutler now had absolute authority and power.

He was now the nation's dictator.

_**-( scene break)-**_

_Two months later._

The past two months had been a whirlwind. Cutler summoned the Titans to the Capital, where they were received by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who grilled them on everything they knew about the Brotherhood of Evil.

The Titans attended a few of Cutler's official events; including a speech before a joint session of congress. Much to their surprise, there were legislators missing that day, and Raven later found out that they were the minority Republican and Democrat remnant, and they were boycotting the President's session in protest of him being awarded dictatorial powers. In the end it didn't matter as the camera avoided the empty section of the chamber and focused on Cutler instead.

He gave a powerful speech on Americans standing united against the supervillains who clearly remained a threat even if they had moved their operations outside of the country. He promised to take the fight to them and make them pay tenfold for the outrage they had committed on the peace loving American people. He called upon young men and women to volunteer for military service, telling them that the victims in Atlanta were screaming for justice.

After a few days the Titans were sent home. Robin was frustrated that the military appeared to be uninterested in working with the Titans. They were excessively polite, but in the end the message was obvious: don't call us, we'll call you.

Robin appeared to be broken. While no one blamed him for the catastrophe it was more than evident that he blamed himself. It would be weeks before he snapped out of his funk. It was obvious from Starfire's demeanor that she was worried about her boyfriend.

Slowly the curfew was reduced and now it was from 11 PM to 6 AM, across the entire country and while normalcy had yet to return to people's daily lives at least the country was getting back into a routine.

Somehow, the networks were able to procure footage of Atlanta's destruction, which was played over and over on the TV, which the Titans could no longer bear to watch. The footage served to enrage a large portion of the population. Many had relatives or friends in the Atlanta area and that only added fuel to the fire.

Raven had yet to tell anyone about Slade, though she was now considering telling Beast Boy about her informal alliance with their nemesis. She had not been in touch with him since Atlanta was destroyed. While there was value in staying in touch with Slade she still found the arrangement to be unsettling, if not outright foolish. Now though, after all that had happened, she felt that perhaps she should contact him.

After returning to her room and locking the door she turned on her computer and using the datapad, which she kept concealed in a transdimensional pocket in her room, she obtained the ever changing URL and login. Once again she opened a browser and typed in the information.

This time after logging in, instead of a video, there was a large flashing button with the word "Chat" on it. She paused for a moment, deliberating what to do next. Biting her lower lip, she clicked on the button. A new window opened, displaying Slade's masked face.

"It's about time you contacted me. Did you have fun in Washington, Raven? I saw you on the news."

"What do you think?"

"I'll take that as a no. As you can see, I was correct in my prediction about Cutler becoming a dictator."

"Yes, you were. What do you know about Atlanta? Beast Boy has tried to contact the Doom Patrol, but he can't reach them."

"Ah yes, Mento's team. They can be hard to reach. As for Atlanta, I seriously doubt that the Brotherhood of Evil was behind it, as they have made no demands."

"Cutler says they have …"

"Did he show your team the evidence?"

"No, he said that there was a simple message send by the Brotherhood, demanding that Cutler surrender to them."

"Raven, Raven, we both know that is not how the Brotherhood operates. If they were truly behind the attack, they would have come out in public and gloated about it. But there is something else to consider: the target. Why chose Atlanta? Why not New York, Gotham, Metropolis, Chicago, Los Angeles or even Jump City? While not the Capital itself?"

The sorceress understood where he was going.

"Because Atlanta was expendable." She droned in her monotone.

"Precisely, child. It was big enough to scare the citizenry but redundant enough that its loss is only a minor setback."

Raven's eyes opened wide as the revelation sank in.

"Cutler did it."

"Yes, and it was brilliantly executed. Just as the populace was getting comfortable with him, he upped the ante. The people almost begged him to become a temporary dictator. And if you thought things were bad before, with prisoners being murdered and civil liberties curtailed, it's only going to become much worse. In fact, my informants tell me that your dear Beast Boy will be receiving an unpleasant surprise today."

"What! They wouldn't dare arrest him! On what charges?"

Slade chuckled.

"Charges? They don't need to accuse him of anything. Have you forgotten that Habeas Corpus was suspended? They can detain anyone they want, for as long as they want, for any reason. But do not worry Raven; they aren't coming for him, at least not yet."

"Then what is it?" She growled.

"You'll find out. Contact me again tonight, say at 11 PM your time. We can talk all about it then."

"No Slade, tell me now."

He chuckled again.

"Well, well, the rumors are true; you do care for the green one. And here I thought that your dates were merely staged to fool your friends. To be honest Raven, I am uncertain myself. All I know is that the State Department sent him a courier package that should arrive today, if it hasn't already arrived. You should hurry Raven, you might miss it."

The video connection was cut and Raven was logged off the website, which displayed "Remember, 11 PM tonight, and bring the changeling, it's time he learned the truth."

Raven slammed her laptop shut and teleported herself to the common room. Starfire and Robin were sitting on the couch, engaged in a heavy petting session.

"Where's Beast Boy!" Raven shouted.

The Boy Wonder and the Princess almost hit the ceiling, as they thought they were alone.

"He and Cyborg, they went together to do the receiving of some packages from the government." Starfire replied.

"Gee Raven, you really gave us quite a scare, we didn't hear you come in." Robin added as the sound of the elevator doors opening echoed in the room.

"Whatever." She replied as she turned to the lift, from which Beast Boy and Cyborg emerged.

"Cyborg, what did they send us today?" Robin asked.

The tin man tossed a small package at the Boy Wonder.

"Your usual box of official papers. But BB got something today too."

Raven felt her blood freeze as Beast Boy waved a thin manila envelope in the air.

"Beast Boy, what did they send you?" Starfire asked.

"I dunno, it's from the State Department."

Robin cleared his throat.

"I've been working with Messersmith to clear up the issue with Beast Boy's citizenship. He told me last night that it's been resolved and that should be the official paperwork in Beast Boy's hands."

The changeling grinned as he ripped open the envelope and pulled out several pages of official State Department correspondence. He quickly glanced at the cover page while he smiled. Suddenly, his smile turned into a frown and Raven had to stifle as gasp. Beast Boy turned red with anger and threw the paperwork onto the floor, after which he stomped out of the room. Robin, Starfire and Cyborg stood immobilized, not knowing what had just happened. Raven recovered and picked up the sheaf of papers and began to read the cover letter out loud.

"Dear Mr. Logan: We have reviewed the status of your claim to United States citizenship."

She paused before continuing.

"We are sorry to inform you that your claim had been denied. Because of your service to the country you will be granted the status of resident alien and avoid deportation. Please complete the following forms and …"

Raven had to summon all of her willpower to contain and control her anger. Her face also turned red.

"They can't do this to him. It's not fair!"

Raven dropped the paperwork and ran after Beast Boy.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Thanks again for all the reviews.

There is one thing I want to make clear: This isn't a "Conservatives vs. Liberals" story. Dictators come in all shapes and flavors. Some are right wing, some are left wing. I have made a point of avoiding describing Cutler's politics, because they are irrelevant to the story.

I also apologize for my remark last week about Fox News. While I find their form of journalism to be heavily biased towards right wing politics, it's unfair to characterize its viewers as Fascists, even if many of them might be.

One more note: I need to get back to my other story: Deathstroke the Terminator, so there won't be any updates to this story until after the weekend.

And, before I go, I have a shout out:

Sir Alwick has been working on a fantastic story: The Crime of Passion. I can't recommend it enough. Not only is the plot superb, but Sir Alwick simply writes great prose. He can't seem to write a bad sentence! You have to read this story, you won't regret it.


	5. Skipping Stones

Starfire pouted as she saw Raven charge into the stairwell. The sorceress' voice echoed as she shouted 'Beast Boy, where are you?' repeatedly. Then she heard the tell tale hum of Raven's dark energy, indicating that she had teleported away. The princess turned sadly to her beau. Their eyes met and he gulped; knowing that she had questions and he didn't have any answers.

"Robin, what happened? Why was Beast Boy denied?"

The Boy Wonder sighed before replying.

"Damn Messersmith. He said the issue was resolved."

"Well, in a way it was." Cyborg interrupted. "They are gonna give him a green card."

"Which can be revoked at any time." Starfire grumbled. "Robin, what is going to happen next?"

Robin picked up the paperwork from the floor, and after carefully stacking it; he slipped it back into the envelope and placed it on the kitchen table.

"Once Beast Boy calms down, he'll fill out the paperwork, send it back and receive his green card. At least they're giving him one. I've heard that since Atlanta the government stopped giving them out. In fact, Messersmith's told me that they're being revoked and people, even entire families, are being deported."

"Why is the government doing this Robin?" She asked

"I don't know, I'm sure there has to be a reason." He replied as he opened his own parcel. In addition to some new law federal enforcement badges they were now supposed to carry at all times, it contained a sealed envelope. Robin opened it and quickly read it."

"Yo Rob, what does it say?" Cyborg asked.

"It's confidential, sorry Cy. But this does concern you Starfire, let's go to my office."

Cyborg frowned at the pair left the common room.

"Confidential?" He muttered to himself as he headed into the kitchen to prepare himself as snack.

As he procured the necessary ingredients to make a sandwich he grumbled.

"Maybe Raven's right … this is Red X all over again."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven charged into the stairwell, where Beast Boy had just run into moments earlier and reached out with her empathic senses. There was no sign of him.

"Beast Boy! Where are you!" She shouted into the void. The only reply she heard was her own echo.

The sorceress began to worry. He was angry and there was no telling what happened to him. What if he left the Tower and ran into some unfriendly security forces? He would probably be able to handle them, but what if they got lucky, especially given his frame of mind?

What if he turned into the Beast?

"Beast Boy! Where are you!" She shouted again, knowing it was a futile act.

Raven paused and attempted to calm himself.

"What does he do when he's upset? Where does he go?" She whispered to herself.

She snapped her fingers.

"Of course, where else would he be?"

She raised her arms and a black hemisphere appeared, after which she phased into the ground, disappearing as the hum of her obsidian colored power echoed in the stairwell.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Robin turned on the small banker's lamp that he had on his desk, while Starfire closed the sliding door behind her. Robin tossed the open envelope on his desk and sat down on his aero chair. Starfire grinned and sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. To her surprise he did not seem interested in an impromptu make out session, which is what they always did when he asked her to join him in his office.

"Something is troubling you, my boyfriend. Is it the news in the envelope?"

"Well … it does affect you."

Robin saw fear suddenly appear in her eyes.

"Am I having my green card revoked?"

"No, it's not that, you're fine …"

"Then what is it?"

Robin handed the envelope to her.

"Cutler is going to sign a non aggression treaty with Tamaran."

Starfire nodded.

"I see. That is a promise to not wage war with each other, correct?"

"Yes, but there's more …"

He paused, as if deliberating his words.

"Apparently, we are now officially engaged. Galfore demanded it as a condition for the treaty. He wants us to be married by the end of next month."

Starfire squealed with glee as she wrapped Robin in one of her bone crunching embraces.

"Oh Robin, this is wonderful news! It is beyond glorious!"

"Yeah, I guess."

Starfire released him from her alien hug.

"You are not happy! Why?"

"Star, we didn't get any say in this."

"Robin, as you know it is the way of my people to have our mates chosen for us. We are so fortunate that Galfore has chosen you for me!"

"I know …"

"But? I do not understand Robin. Is it really that important to you for us to have made that decision?"

He paused, searching for a way to answer the question without upsetting his new fiancé.

"I'm sorry Star, but it's wrong for us to be forced. We should be able to make this decision on our own."

Starfire stood up.

"Then let us make the decision. Robin, Richard Grayson, son of John and Mary Grayson, I choose you to be my betrothed."

"Star, just because we want each other doesn't negate that we're being forced into this."

Starfire looked troubled, then turned and began to walk away.

"I understand, Richard. I will inform Galfore that you have rejected my hand …"

"Now wait a minute …"

"… and that he may proceed to select another man to be my betrothed."

"WHAAAT!"

The princess smiled as she was still facing away from him.

"It is the way of my people. I understand Galfore's desire for an ally as Earth is a nearby neighbor to my home system of Vega. Tamaranians seal these kinds of agreements through marriage. Perhaps I will have to marry someone else, maybe Galfore will choose President Cutler's younger brother …"

"LIKE HELL HE WILL!"

"So … you have reconsidered?" She said as she turned around.

"Star, I do want to marry you … just not now and not this way."

"But Richard, why not marry now? There are … advantages … to being married."

"There are?" He asked stupidly.

She returned to him and sat back down on his lap.

"Yes, there are many. One I especially look forward to is … the physical intimacy."

"Oh yeah, that." He squeaked. "That … uh … sounds pretty good."

"Good?" She smiled. "It will be glorious."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven materialized and heaved a huge sigh of relief as he was where she had hoped to find him. He was standing on a large boulder, skipping stones into the bay. He always came to "Terra's Rock" when he was upset. Raven made a mental note to ask Slade what had happened to the geomancer, as she was last seen by Beast Boy at Murakami School over three years ago.

She glided over to where he was standing, landing as softly a snowflake next to him. He threw another stone, which skipped the water six times before sinking in.

"Hi Rave." He greeted the sorceress without looking at her.

"Hello Garfield. Are you OK?"

"I guess."

He sat down on the boulder and she joined him. It was early in the afternoon. The bay was calm and they both stared at it for a while, sitting silently. Finally Raven broke the silence.

"Wanna go get something to eat?" She asked.

"Sure, anything to get away from here."

Raven stood up at raised her arms. A black disk appeared and she stepped on to it. She extended her hand to him.

"A taxi for two."

He smiled, remembering the day Saico-Tek attacked the tower, when he fell on to her flying disk and she kicked him off, saying "Does this look like a taxi?" He took her hand and hopped on.

They stopped at a deli, purchased lunch and some drinks before heading out to a small, uninhabited island that was 10 miles off of Jump City's coast. They set up their picnic on some large boulders overlooking a westward facing beach. Unlike in the bay, the surf was here was strong and wild, with large breakers crashing into the boulder strewn beach. Other than for a few California Sea Lions who were resting on some nearby rocks, they were completely alone.

Raven quietly unpacked the lunch. As they ate their repast, Raven broke the silence.

"So, are you going to sign those papers?"

The changeling finished a swig of root beer before answering.

"Like I have any choice. If I don't, they'll deport me."

"I never became an American; I've had a green card since we formed the team." She commented.

"You did? Funny how we never thought about things like that back then."

"Unlike you I never claimed my right to citizenship. I was born in Azarath, but my mother was born in the states. I don't know why I never claimed it; I guess I've always thought of myself as Azarathian. I probably would have received a letter like yours today had I claimed my citizenship."

Beast Boy turned his gaze towards the wide open ocean. It was now late in the afternoon and the sun would be setting in a few hours. The waves continued to crash onto the beach.

"You know, out here there's no USA or Cutler. I like it."

"I know what you mean; of course technically this island is US territory; so we really haven't gotten away." She replied.

"I feel like staying right here and never going back." He remarked.

The two Titans leaned back against the boulder and soaked the sun's rays.

"Me too. But we have to go back, I'm afraid."

Beast Boy and Raven stared at the ocean for almost half an hour. Beast Boy then surprised Raven by taking her hand.

"Raven, I just wanted to thank you … you know … for being my friend. You're the only one who came looking for me."

"You would have done the same for me."

He chuckled.

"You're probably right … say … you know how we were talking about leaving … well … I think I'm ready to talk more about that."

"Good. Something you should know … I already have a safe house set up, in Canada."

"You do already? Wow, you sure don't waste time."

"I've had it for a long time, since the Galatea incident."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. Where is Amanda Waller these days, is she still at Cadmus?"

"Robin told me that she now reports directly to Cutler. I wouldn't be shocked if she was making more Supergirl clones for him."

"Gee, why am I not surprised." Beast Boy snorted. "So, you were worried back then."

"Well, they were going after the Justice League; I figured that if they destroyed the league, that we'd be next."

"Why didn't you tell us about the safe house?"

"Well, Robin's always kept those remote safe houses, like the one you used when the Brotherhood of Evil tried to capture all of us. I guess that I just wanted a place of my own, one where I could just disappear if I needed."

Beast Boy nodded his understanding.

"So, we could just leave at any time, right."

"That's correct. So, you are serious about coming with me?"

"Yeah … I mean who else would I want to be with?"

"How about Cyborg?" She asked.

"I don't think he wants to leave."

"No, at least not yet. He's useful to Cutler … you know … he's the All American boy … loves football and junk food. He makes for a good poster boy. He will eventually wise up, but it will take time."

"So it's just us for now, huh Raven?"

"Yes, for now."

They prepared to head back to the Tower, packing everything back into the cardboard box the lunch came in.

"Garfield?"

"Yeah?"

"Come to my room tonight, at 11."

"You want me to come to your room? Really?"

"Yes, I want to show you something. And don't be late."

_**-( scene break )-**_

"I think that should cover your order, Mr. Cyborg. I'm sorry it took so long, but since Atlanta it's been hard to get these custom auto parts delivered."

"Well. Mr. Hazel, you haven't let me down yet."

"I can't promise you anything in the future. It seems that every machine shop from here to Gotham is switching over to make parts for the military."

"Really? All of them?"

"All of them, I really don't think I can get any more custom parts for you, at least not from the usual suppliers. I hate to say this, but you might be forced into making them yourself. You do have a machine shop in the Tower?"

"Yeah, I do. I just can't do as good of a job as your guys. Will I be able to get materials?"

The hot rod store proprietor rubbed the back of his head.

"That's another issue. I don't buy that stuff myself, but from what I've heard that's also becoming hard to find, especially alloys with Titanium. Of course you being a Titan and all, I suppose you shouldn't have too much trouble." The man replied as he filled a cardboard box with the parts.

"Thanks, Mr. Hazel, we'll be in touch."

Cyborg walked out the front door of the parts shop and placed the parts for his "baby" into the car's trunk. He sighed, as the reality sank in: because of the unprecedented military buildup he wouldn't be able to get the parts he needed in the near future. He made a mental note to order as many spare parts for himself as possible before that pipeline also ran dry.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice what appeared to be a parade marching down the street.

Except it wasn't a parade. It was a protest demonstration.

At least one thousand people were marching down the street, some thrusting their fists in the air, others waving the American flag while the rest carried signs with slogans such as "No Dictatorship", "No Cutler" and "No Martial Law".

A young woman, speaking into a bullhorn, led the demonstration, and she called out to anyone who would listen.

"Wake up, America! President Cutler has stolen your freedom. He isn't a patriot, he's a tyrant! Don't allow your children to volunteer for his army of conquest. We have to stop Cutler before he destroys our nation, our birthright."

The parade passed by the hot rod store and the crowd gave Cyborg a dirty look. At first he felt indignant. He was a super hero; he had helped save their hides, more than once. How dare they look at him like that!

And then, he understood. He was one of Cutler's "boys". All the Titans were.

He silently watched the crowd pass him, their eyes piercing him like daggers. He could sense the anger they felt towards him, which was intertwined with their contempt.

"You're a traitor, Cyborg!" He heard a lone voice shout from the crowd. No one else said anything to him. They didn't need to say anything as their eyes spoke volumes.

That was when he heard the sound of tear gas canisters exploding. The demonstrators choked on the noxious gas and some began to flee. A booming voice was heard over a PA.

"You are all under arrest … surrender immediately and you will not be harmed … anyone who attempts to escape will be shot … I repeat … anyone who attempts to escape will be shot."

The crowd decided to take their chances and began to scatter in all directions.

The sound of machine gun fire was heard.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven and Beast Boy saw the demonstration from their flying disk. The sorceress took them down to the top of a nearby building to watch, just in time to see the police begin to fire the tear gas canisters.

"Raven! What are the police doing? Those people weren't rioting or anything."

Raven watched, grim faced, as the events unfolded below. Soon the machine gun fire began.

"Isn't it obvious, Garfield?"

Beast Boy watched in horror as protestors were shot. Their screams and gun fire echoed in the urban canyon. Many managed to escape, but many were still trapped.

"Raven, we have to help those people."

The police were rounding up survivors, taking them into an alley. There was no question of the outcome.

"We have to do this carefully." She replied. "The police can't know that it's us."

"What! Why not? We're superheroes, it's what we do!"

She shook her head.

"No, we're Cutler's stooges. If they know it's us, they'll go after our friends. They'll be implicated in our treason. We can't help them as Titans, Gar."

"Then I don't want to be a Titan anymore."

"I couldn't agree with you more … but right now we still are Titans."

"So you're saying that we won't help those people?"

"Of course not! We just have to be stealthy. Do you have any of those exploding balls Robin gave us?"

"I do."

"See that gas station?"

He nodded.

"I'm on it."

The changeling morphed into a hawk and flew odd the building's edge. He landed in the now empty gas station and tossed a handful of the explosive marbles at the pumps. He morphed back into a bird and flew away as they began to explode. The chain reaction took place as the pumps caught fire. The explosions distracted the police who turned just as the gas station erupted in a fire ball, throwing cars in the air as if they were toys.

The trapped demonstrators made a run for it. Some of the military equipped officers saw them and prepared to open fire. Now it was Raven's turn. Using her dark energy, she lifted sidewalks and asphalt from below, in order to hide her dark energy. She lifted them and used them to shield the fleeing protestors. She also broke a few natural gas lines in the process, which leaked and were ignited by the bullets that bounced of her impromptu shielding. The lines ignited, creating a wall of fire that further protected the fleeing civilians. Beast Boy materialized at her side.

"That's all we can do to help. We need to get out of here before someone sees us." She shouted as him.

Raven swept her cape around herself and Beast Boy and they vanished, replaced by her soul self which was in her bird form and flew away.

_**-( scene break )-**_

It appears that the Chromatically Challenged Couple have taken their first steps in the sedition.

I saw the new Beast Boy this morning in Young Justice. He definitely looks like a monkey, which is odd as the show has been sticking to a comic book look and feel, yet Beast Boy never even remotely looked like that in the comics. I can only guess that they wanted him to look as different as possible from Murakami's Beast Boy. So far Cyborg, Raven and Starfire remain AWOL in the Young Justice TV universe.

Once again, thanks to all who continue to read and review. It is always appreciated.


	6. What is a hero?

As the sliding door swished shut behind him, Robin kicked off his shoes. His bedroom was as plain and barren as a prison cell. It lacked Beast Boy's collection of toys, dirty clothes and empty pizza boxes. Unlike Cyborg's room there was virtually no tech gear, except for a laptop computer on his desk. He didn't have a vast collection of books or macabre knick knacks like Raven did.

Even Starfire's room had more personality, which was saying a lot as her room was almost as plain as his, except for a few pop star posters she had collected over the years.

Dinner that evening had been … strange. Raven and the changeling arrived together, ate in silence and promptly excused themselves, leaving as soon as they finished rinsing their dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. Robin began to wonder if something was going on between the pair, as they hung out together more and more. Were they a couple now, and had decided to keep it a secret?

A secret? He was one to talk. There had been plenty of time to share the news of his forced engagement to the Princess over dinner, and while she was dying to tell the others she deferred to him to share the happy news.

Happy news? Well, maybe for her. He still wasn't sure of how he felt. He knew that he didn't want her being married off to someone else, especially not to Cutler's slime ball brother. He met him once, and the guy gave him the creeps. So he had agreed to marry her, and soon, before Galfore had a chance to change his mind and force Starfire to marry the younger Cutler.

He felt weird about the whole situation. And the mood at dinner hadn't helped one bit. Cyborg had been unusually taciturn throughout the evening, mumbling about difficulties in procuring spare parts. But even worse, Beast Boy and Raven didn't say a word.

Robin was trained by "The Detective", as Ra's Al Ghul was known to call the Batman, and his instincts told him that something was amiss with his team. Unfortunately he didn't know what was disturbing his friends.

There was also that communiqué he received earlier from the local police, informing him of a riot that occurred that afternoon downtown and how the police were able to peacefully disperse the demonstrators. That the Titans had not been involved in such a trivial matter suited him fine, as he thought it was below his team to yell into bull horns and tell people to go home.

That's when it hit him: his team was bored. There hadn't been a real mission in weeks. Maybe it was time to share the news with the team. If that didn't cheer them up, nothing would. Heck, at this point he would be satisfied to get any reaction from them.

He looked at his clock and saw that it was 11:20 PM. It was late, but not too late. Normally they would still be in the common room, playing video games while Raven read one of her books and Starfire would be making one of her weird, inedible puddings in the kitchen. Robin chuckled at the thought of eating Starfire's dinners once they were married. He made a mental note to put a stomach pump in their bridal registry, or maybe Cyborg could teach her to cook before she killed him.

Robin chuckled out loud as he flipped his communicator open.

"Titans, meet me in the common room, I have an important announcement!"

He flipped his communicator shut and grinned. Now was as a good time as any to break the news, and with some luck he would snap his team out of its collective funk.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The green and gray Titans hung out in Raven's room after dinner. Beast Boy was resting on Raven's bed, Starfire style with his head hanging off the end of the bed with a blank look on his face. Raven was sitting next to him, with her laptop computer balanced on her knees.

"Rave?"

She looked up from the screen.

"Yes?"

"Are you scared?"

"Are you?" She replied evasively.

He nodded.

"I am. It seems that the whole country is going koo koo labonza. I … I still can't believe that those policemen fired on the demonstrators. They weren't doing anything wrong."

"It should be obvious now that Cutler won't tolerate any dissension. Anyone who opposes him will be struck down, violently …"

"Raven … I saw some people in the buildings … they were cheering the cops … what's wrong with them?"

"Some people are prone to hatred. Not everyone is like that, in fact, it's only a minority. As for the police, Cutler's forces have already weeded out anyone who isn't 100% loyal to him. You heard that Police Chief Thompson 'resigned', if you can call it that."

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know, even Robin doesn't know. She just disappeared. The official line is that she was reassigned to the capital, but there's been no sign of her there either … when we met her replacement … I could feel my skin crawl … and I'm supposed to be creepy."

Beast Boy rolled over and sat up.

"You still didn't answer my question …"

She made eye contact with him.

"Yes, I'm afraid, because I have no idea of how to turn this around. I mean … how do you free a nation that as a whole doesn't want to be liberated?"

He sighed.

"Maybe they're just afraid."

"Maybe …" She replied as her fingers danced on the laptop's keyboard. "Have you heard that the Canadians have sealed the border? They aren't allowing any trade from the states."

"What did Cutler say about that?" He asked.

"He gave some long winded speech about self reliance. He can't act against the Canadians, not yet. I don' know how long that will last though, we're quickly becoming international pariahs."

Beast Boy slumped forward, landing face first in the bed.

"Raven … how do we fight this? If we go and take Cutler out … then we're the bad guys … and I'm not sure we could do it … not by ourselves."

Raven hopped off the bed, with the laptop still in her hands. She checked her clock and saw that it was almost 11 PM.

"Actually, we do have some allies."

"We do?" He beamed. "You mean like the Justice League?"

"Not exactly." She replied as she placed the computer on her desk.

"Then who?"

"I'll … show you … right now." She replied as she used the datapad to retrieve the ever changing URL. She typed and performed the login while the changeling watched, unable to hide the confusion he was feeling. As the time before, a flashing "Chat" button appeared. Raven clicked it … and Beast Boy shrieked.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Titans." The familiar monotone greeted them.

Beast Boy became apoplectic.

"What! Raven! Are you nuts! Slade is our ally?"

"It wouldn't be the first time we teamed up to fight a common enemy, Beast Boy." Slade interjected.

Beast Boy made multiple dismissive gestures with his hands as his face became livid with anger.

"No way! I was expecting the Justice League … not Slade."

Slade chuckled.

"You can forget about them, boy. They won't move against the government. In case you've forgotten, they still haven't fully earned the world's trust since the Galatea incident. If they attack the USA, it will only bring other nations to the American's side."

"Oh, and you won't?" Beast Boy sneered.

"We won't, because we won't act in the open. We're going to do things my way … which is to say we will do it in secret. We won't attack Cutler directly, that would never work. But you know me … I have my ways."

"You bet I know you, Slade! You're a viper, one that can't be trusted."

Slade chuckled.

"An interesting choice of words, coming from someone who can actually become a viper … takes one to know one … right, Beast Boy?"

"Enough, Slade." Raven interrupted. "Beast Boy has a point, how do we know we can trust you?"

Slade crossed his arms.

"You don't. But what other choice do you have? They stripped your citizenship away, changeling. How long do you think it will be before they come for you and your girlfriend?"

Beast Boy blushed.

"Raven's not my girlfriend." He stammered.

Slade resumed his condescending chuckle.

"My sources tell me that Cutler believes that you are a couple. And he sees you as a threat, one that needs to be dealt with. And he will deal with you, trust me. He wants you out of the way before the big event."

"What event?" Raven interrupted.

"You haven't heard the news? I'm surprised that Robin hasn't told you yet."

Slade was interrupted by Raven's communicator, which crackled to life.

"_Titans, meet me in the common room, I have an important announcement!"_

"I'd better let you go, you don't want to miss Robin's announcement." Slade droned in his monotone. "Tomorrow night, at 11 PM?"

Raven frowned before answering.

"OK, tomorrow at 11." She replied.

The video chat ended. Beast Boy still appeared to be in a state of shock.

"Rave, you can't be serious? An alliance with Slade? Are you nuts?"

"There's no alliance, not yet anyway." She replied as she put her cloak on. "Come on, we don't want to be late with Robin. Something tells me this is going to be something big, really big".

_**-( scene break )-**_

Cyborg sat on his recharging station in the room that had been his home since they built the Tower. The shelves were lined with sporting trophies and pictures, relics from a previous life, a life that felt like it was someone else's and not his own. He had been a Teen Titan, a superhero, for so long that at times it felt like the only life he ever had.

And now, that life was being called into question. Was he still a superhero?

The memory of the demonstration haunted him. That there even was one was jolting. Cutler was the legally elected president of the country. He promised to relinquish his powers once the emergency was over, and if anything was clear, the emergency was far from over.

Or was it?

But what shook up the Tin Man were the looks, the piercing, and angry looks he received from the people. People didn't glare at superheroes like that.

Did they?

But the worst thing, what truly haunted him was his reaction when the police began to fire. He did nothing but stand and watch. Perhaps he was too shocked to react … or was he already too numbed?

What he did know was that someone did react. The street and the sidewalks didn't buckle by themselves, nor did that gas station explode spontaneously. Someone came to the demonstrators' aid, even if it was a bit late.

Cyborg could only wonder who had intervened. His first guess would have been Terra, as moving the ground was definitely her style, but no one had seen her in years. It would certainly be an unexpected time and place for her to turn up, that much was sure.

But that wasn't what troubled Victor Stone. He stood by and did nothing to defend those innocent people and deep down he knew why.

He had become one of the bad guys.

It actually came as no surprise. Children no longer ran up to him when he was in public, asking for his autograph or for him to throw a football. Now they kept a cautious distance from him, a respectful distance. And they no longer called out his name in public.

Dammit! Even the kids knew he had become a bad guy. How could he not have known when they did?

"_Titans, meet me in the common room, I have an important announcement!"_

Cyborg almost didn't hear the disembodied voice over his communicator. It took him a moment to snap out of his funk. Finally, he rose to his feet.

"On my way." He replied.

_**-( scene break )-**_

"You're getting what!" Beast Boy shrieked. "You're what? 20?"

"We're both 19." Robin replied.

Raven was seated on the crescent shaped couch, with her arms crossed.

"So let me get this straight … you're getting married because if you don't Galfore will marry Starfire off to someone else in order to seal some sort of treaty with Cutler?"

"In a nutshell … yes."

"And you're OK with this?"

"What other choice do we have?"

Raven stood up and faced him.

"You could say no."

"Say no? Maybe to Cutler, but what about Galfore?" Robin interjected.

"I don't know what's more disturbing, that the two of you are being forced into a premature marriage, or that Galfore wants to be Cutler's ally." Raven grumbled.

"But Raven … are you not happy for us?" Starfire asked in an uncertain tone, unable to hide that she was feeling hurt.

The sorceress sighed.

"Starfire … there has never been any doubt in my mind since Tokyo that you and Dick would end up together, it's just … wrong for you to get married for the sake of a treaty … and yes … I know that its they way of your people and I'm no one to judge … but that doesn't mean I have to approve."

Robin frowned at his gray friend.

"Raven … your support." He then paused and gestured at Beast Boy and Cyborg. "All your support would mean great deal to us."

"Look, y'all, we love you guys and we want the best for you. I'm with Raven on this; you shouldn't be forced into getting married ... but if you need my support, you got it." The Tin Man announced.

Robin then turned to Beast Boy, who crossed his arms.

"OK, fine. I mean, we all know you would get married someday amyway."

Now all eyes were on Raven.

"I still think it's a bad idea. You'll be associating your marriage with Cutler's regime … that's something I would never want to do … but if it really means that much to you … you have my support as well."

Starfire ran forward and grasped Raven in one of her pincer like hugs.

"Oh Raven! I am so happy! My wedding day would not be complete without your presence. You will of course be my maid of honor!"

"I'd be honored." Raven replied as she wondered if she would still be a Titan when the wedding day arrived.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The story keeps rolling. Will Raven and BB form an alliance with Slade? And if they do, how will they fight the Cutler regime.

And thanks for your continued support. I never expected this story to be so well received. I'm still surprised.

Also, a shout out for Alltheginjoints story: Twenty Years of Forever. Ever wondered what happened during the twenty years Starfire was gone when she chased Warp through time? Well, this is were you'll find out! Also, a bit of trivia: in the comics Warp could only warp through space and not through time. He was also one of members of the Brotherhood of Evil (and was French, along with Madam Rouge and Monsieur Mallah),


	7. A Sheet of Paper

_Two weeks later…_

"So, Miss Raven, would you like share your thoughts regarding Robin and Starfire's upcoming wedding with our viewers?"

The gray sorceress was wearing her usual impassive mask and didn't betray any of the seething emotions that were bubbling within her like a steaming cauldron.

"Robin and Starfire are a well matched couple and I expect them to share many years of wedded bliss together." She droned in her monotone.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen; the level of excitement in Titans Tower grows day by day. Thank you for sharing with us, Mistress of Magic!"

Raven absolutely hated being call the mistress of magic. As far as she was concerned, that was just a polite way of calling her a witch.

"You're welcome."

As soon as the camera crew shut down their equipment the interviewer's smile vanished. Amanda Lovejoy had worked hard to climb the ladder at the new American Broadcast Network and she had just been given her own show: "Amanda Visits the Stars." Unfortunately for the young TV newswoman, Raven's demeanor more closely resembled a lunar eclipse than a star in the sky. With a frown on her face she turned to Raven.

"It wouldn't kill you to smile or even look remotely happy for Starfire. You do know that you come across as a bitter harpy. The viewers are going to think that you're jealous of Starfire … is it true that you once had a fling with Robin?"

Raven glared at the reporter. Since the wedding was announced there had been a steady stream of media representatives, mostly from gossip magazines and shows, visiting the Tower on a daily basis. Amanda Lovejoy, a bubbly blond airhead that reminded Raven of Terra, had actually requested permission to become "embedded" in the Tower with her crew, living with the Titans until the wedding day, shadowing their every move. To Raven's immense relief Robin pushed back, even though the ABN, which was the government's official TV network, had applied pressure to allow Ms. Lovejoy to move in with her camera crew. Finally a compromise was made to allow Ms. Lovejoy unfettered access from 10AM to 4PM. It was only six hours, but as far as Raven felt, it was still six hours too many. Other reporters, unlike Ms. Lovejoy, were only given sporadic access to the Titans.

"To be quite honest, Miss Lovejoy, I don't care what your viewers think. I'm a superhero and not some sort of celebrity."

Lovejoy sighed.

"Look, Raven, you are a celebrity, whether you like it or not and I've been tasked by the ABN to 'break through' your shell, so to speak. How about we do an interview about you, we could do it in your room?"

"No one goes into my room."

"I understand Beast Boy does."

"That's irrelevant."

"Is it true, is he your boyfriend?"

"No comment."

Lovejoy grinned.

"I see, I see, so it's a secret relationship?"

"You're grasping at straws, Miss Lovejoy."

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are. Now if you'll excuse me …"

Lovejoy grabbed Raven's wrist and stopped her. Raven turned and glared at the woman, restraining herself to keep her demonic eyes from making an appearance.

"I'll make a deal with you."

"I don't make deals." Raven replied.

"Just hear me out … give me a 15 minute interview with you, in your room and I promise I'll never mention your relationship with Beast Boy to the public."

"I've already told you, there is no relationship, we're just friends."

"I can still tell the audience that you are in a relationship … a hot and steamy relationship … and they will gobble it up!"

Raven sighed.

"If I give you this interview, will you promise to leave me alone?"

Lovejoy grinned. No one could turn her down for an interview; there was a reason why ABN picked up her NBC contract. She extended her hand to the sorceress.

"Deal."

Raven shook her hand.

"Don't you dare break that promise …"

"Don't worry, I won't"

"Then let's get this over with."

"You mean you want to do it right now?" Lovejoy asked, unable to conceal the surprise in her voice.

"Yes, now … follow me."

Amanda Lovejoy gestured at her crew, which had stopped to take a break at the ABN provided buffet table, where they were chatting with Cyborg. They gathered their audio and video equipment before running after the two women.

Raven led them to her bedroom door. She placed her palm on a bio-signature reader and the heavy door, with her name still stenciled on it, slid open. Without saying a word she entered her room, followed by Lovejoy and her crew.

The microphone man looked around the room; wide eyed, quickly sensing the overall foreboding that permeated the room like heavy fog. The camera operator was busy changing the camera settings to work in Raven's dark room. Lovejoy paced around the room, searching for the ideal spot to conduct the interview. She stopped next to Raven's bureau and noticed an oddly shaped mirror, which she picked up and inspected.

"What is this?" The reporter asked.

"It's my meditation mirror." Raven calmly replied.

Before Lovejoy could say another word a huge, dark claw emerged from the mirror. Lovejoy screamed in terror as it grabbed her and pulled her into the mirror. The crew witnesses the incident and after dropping their gear they charged out of the room, screaming in terror.

Once they were gone Raven picked up the mirror and examined it. A wicked grin appeared on her face.

"Oops!" She chuckled to herself.

Raven put the mirror down. 15 minutes should be plenty, she thought.

From that day forward she received no more requests for interviews.

_**-( scene break )-**_

_The next day … 2 PM …_

Robin entered the common room through the sliding doors. The first thing he noticed was a deadly assault on his nostrils. He glanced towards the kitchen and saw Cyborg frantically waving his arms while black smoke billowed out of several pots and pans, which Starfire supervised with a stressed face.

"Ah man! I mean who burns spaghetti? I didn't even know that it was possible!"

Looking flustered, Starfire replied apologetically.

"I am sorry, Cyborg. I am afraid that I also burned the meat sauce, the vegetables and the dessert."

"The dessert? The dessert was ice cream! What did you do?" The tin man wailed in defeat, dropping his arms to his side. He heaved a huge sigh as the princess looked like she was about ready to begin crying.

He heaved a huge sigh.

"It's OK, Star, it's my fault … please don't cry. I just got too ambitious; we'll try something simpler tomorrow."

"Thanks you friend, for trying to teach me how to cook the earthly food. I will try harder tomorrow. But I have not only failed you, but I have also failed my friends as there is no dinner to sup on and they are hungry!"

"Don't worry Star, I'll just order some pizza …"

A pair of groans came from the couch.

"Cyborg, it's beyond heroic that you're trying to teach Starfire how to cook."Raven protested. "But this will be the fourth night in a row that we've had pizza for dinner."

"So? What's the problem?"

Raven sighed unhappily.

"Could we please have something else?" She pleaded.

"Fine! Geez, don't get your cape tied into a knot, I'll order Indian food. You like your curry spicy?"

"Yes, you know we all do. Now will you please order it, I think that I speak for all when I say we're starving." Raven droned in a monotone that betrayed a slight hint of exasperation.

Cyborg grabbed the keys to the T-Car and headed to the elevator.

"Go ahead and set the table, I'll be back soon."

As the doors swished shut Starfire returned to the kitchen to clean up her mess. Robin flashed a smile at her, which she returned.

"I'll help you clean up, but I have some business with Raven and Beast Boy first."

The green and gray couple had been sitting quietly reading on the couch and they put down their reading materials as Robin approached them. He was carrying a large, white envelope with the State Department's logo on it.

"I noticed that Amanda Lovejoy and her crew didn't come see us today …" Robin began.

"I'm heartbroken." Raven replied as Beast Boy stifled a snicker.

Robin smiled.

"Whatever you did to her, and she's not telling anyone what you did, seems to have scared her and her crew away … good job Raven … she was beginning to get on my nerves."

"You're welcome." Raven replied. "But something tells me that's the good news, and that you have bad news in that white envelope. Am I correct?"

Robin shook his head.

"Not at all. You don't know this, but I've been reading Roger Messersmith the riot act about the way they handled Beast Boy's citizenship claim. He apologized and said that the wheels are already in motion to not only grant Beast Boy his citizenship, but to grant citizenship to you as well."

"Dude! Really? That's awesome!" Beast Boy enthused.

"And the catch is in that envelope." Raven added.

"There's no catch." Robin replied as he opened the envelope and handed each one of them a sheet of paper. "All you have to do is sign these loyalty oaths, and you'll be granted citizenship."

"Loyalty oaths?" Raven asked.

Before Robin could reply, Beast Boy howled in anger.

"There's no way I'm signing this!" He complained as Raven read her copy, which she crumpled up when she was done reading.

Robin fumed at them.

"What the heck is wrong with you guys! All countries require a loyalty pledge before naturalizing anyone into citizenship."

Raven was seething in anger.

"Did you even bother to read these oaths?" She asked.

"No, why should I? They're yours, not mine. And what's the big deal? Children pledge their allegiance every day at school …"

"They pledge their allegiance to the country, not to the president! Unless he's already changed that too!" Raven barked at him.

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked, clearly bewildered.

Beast Boy shoved his copy into Robin's hand.

"Read it, Boy Blunder! It says that we are pledging our loyalty to Cutler, not to the country!" Beast Boy shrieked.

"There's no way were gonna sign this, Robin." Raven added in a dangerous tone.

Robin planted his face in his palm.

"I have to return these by tomorrow."

"What happens if you don't?" Beast Boy asked.

"I … I don't know."

Raven crossed her arms.

"Then it's over. Beast Boy and I will leave tonight."

Robin jerked when he heard her.

"But Raven, you'll become …"

"Traitors … that's why we have to leave."

Robin shook his head.

"C'mon you guys, just sign the oaths. It's no big deal … nothing will change here in the Tower."

Beast Boy shook his head.

"A whole lot has already changed, way too much. Raven's right, it's time for us to leave."

"Nooooo!" Starfire shrieked. "You cannot leave! We are family!"

Raven dropped her head.

"I'm not so sure of that anymore, Starfire. Unlike you, we simply can't cast our lot with Cutler, and to be honest, I don't understand how you two are OK with him."

"But Raven, he is the elected leader of this country …"

Raven slammed her fist on the kitchen counter.

"No! He stopped being that when he seized absolute power."

Starfire choked back her tears.

"Raven, is there nothing we can do to convince you to stay? Without you and Beast Boy, the Tower will no longer feel like our home."

The sorceress wrapped her arms around the princess.

"Starfire, the Tower stopped feeling like home a long time ago. You are a dear friend, but I can't stay here any longer. Really, I'm amazed that I lasted this long."

Starfire nodded her understanding and began to weep, turning to Robin, who wrapped his arms around her and consoled her, running his fingers through her long hair.

"I'm also sorry Raven, I wish this could have turned out … another way." He mumbled to her.

"We'll … we'll get our stuff ready to leave … and … we'll leave after dinner." Raven stammered.

"This isn't easy for us either, you know? Do you think we wanna leave?" Beast Boy grumbled unhappily.

"I know, I know. Somehow, I knew this was going to happen. I really hoped and prayed that it wouldn't come to this … in theory I'm supposed to arrest you."

"Will you?" Raven asked.

"No, of course not. My official report will say that you agreed to sign the oaths, but left in the middle of the night."

Tears began to well in Raven's eyes. She lunged forward and hugged Robin, who returned the gesture.

"I don't know what's going to happen, Raven, but the Titans will always be family, no matter how far apart we are … you are leaving the country, right?"

The Chromatically Challenged Couple both nodded. Robin kissed Raven on the cheek, and then shook Beast Boy's hand.

"Take care of each other. And whatever you do, don't come back to the states. If you're caught … well … you already know what will happen."

Starfire, unable to contain herself, began to wail.

_**-( scene break )-**_

A shorter chapter, but I think you enjoy frequent updates. Raven and Beast Boy have a great unknown waiting for them. Will they follow Robin's advice and stay out of the US?


	8. The Decision

"OK ya'll, I hope you're hungry, cuz I got an extra order of Tandori chicken and …"

Cyborg stopped midsentence as he took in the scene in the common room. Starfire was bawling into Robin's shoulder while Raven and Beast Boy stood by with unhappy expressions on their faces. Their body language screamed that something terrible had happened.

"Whoa! What happened? I wasn't gone that long."

Starfire, her face still buried in her beau's shoulder, choked back a sob before replying.

"Oh Cyborg, there is terrible news! Most unglorious!"

The tin man's organic eyes popped open wide.

"The wedding! Did it get called off?"

"No Cyborg, the wedding is still on schedule." Raven interjected.

He turned towards Raven, cocking his head in his confusion.

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that Beast Boy and I won't be able to attend the wedding."

"What? Why the heck not!"

"We're leaving, Cy." Beast added morosely, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stared at the floor.

"Leaving? For where? Can't this trip, wherever you're going, wait?"

Cyborg then grinned.

"Oh! I see, it's one of those trips! But really, can't you reschedule it?"

Raven's face betrayed a hint of red.

"What. Are. You. Talking. About?" She hissed between clenched teeth.

"Oh, don't act innocent with me. I've noticed how you look at BB."

"What? Whatdya mean?" Beast Boy nearly coughed.

"BB and Raven, sittin' in a tree …" The tin man began to sing off key.

"ENOUGH!" Raven shouted. "We aren't going away on a romantic getaway; get that through your head!"

"Hey! There's no need to get nasty." Cyborg responded in a feigned offended voice. "So what is it then?"

Raven crossed her arms, while her face betrayed the unhappiness she was feeling.

"We're quitting the team, chrome dome. And we're leaving tonight." The changeling interrupted.

"Say what!" Cyborg shrieked as he dropped the box with their dinner on the floor. Silkie ran up to the box and began to lap up the mess that had splattered. "If this is some kind of joke, it ain't funny."

Raven sighed.

"I'm sorry Cyborg, but Cutler's demanding that we pledge our loyalty to him, and that's something we just can't do. We need to leave now because by tomorrow we'll be declared enemies of the state and there will be bounties on our heads."

Cyborg stared at his gray friend. Raven was the little sister he never had and he loved her, possibly even more than he loved Beast Boy. He struggled to process the news he just heard. This wasn't supposed to happen. They were going to eat dinner and hang out afterwards, just like they always did …

"Raven, please, please tell me that you're joking, that somehow BB put you up to this …"

Raven dropped her arms and closed her eyes as she frowned.

"I wish it was a joke, Victor, believe me, I wish it was."

_**-( scene break )-**_

The living room in the apartment was spacious and was furnished in an elegant and at the same time unpretentious style. The Vancouver nighttime skyline was visible through the large windows that lined the apartment's massive 10th floor balcony. Raven closed the blinds while Beast Boy paced around the room, like a caged animal.

"Garfield, are you alright?"

The changeling stopped pacing and looked at her, for the first time since they arrived. Raven had teleported them all the way from the Tower in a single jump.

"No … I don't think so."

The sorceress sat down on a tan colored couch and patted the spot next to her, inviting him to join her. He accepted her offer and as he sat he noticed that here was a brand new GameStation on the coffee table. He instinctively picked up the wireless controller and began to fuss over it in a distracted fashion. After a brief moment he put it back down.

"Thanks, Rave, I … forgot to bring mine."

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm scared." He stammered.

She nodded.

"So am I. We're no longer with our friends."

"Do you think we'll ever get to go back?"

She shook her head.

"I don't think so. Robin and Starfire can't be our friends anymore. Starfire can't disobey Galfore, and Robin … well … I'm not sure about what's going to happen with him. As for Cyborg …"

"Did you see his face when we said goodbye … I could tell that he doesn't think he's ever gonna see us again … Rave … I don't want to be alone."

"Garfield?"

He looked at her and she could see the pain in his eyes.

"Ever since I lost my parents … I've been alone."

"But what about the Doom Patrol? I thought they adopted you."

"They did, but Raven, they never really felt like family. We did, you, Rob, Cy and Star. You guys are … were … my family. But now we're divided … and I'm afraid of being alone again. Raven … nothing scares me more than being alone."

Raven placed her hands on his shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"A dear friend once told me that I wasn't alone. Garfield, you think you're alone, but you're not."

The changeling threw his arms around her and embraced Raven with an intensity she usually associated with Starfire. She instinctively reciprocated and they remained that way for a few silent minutes. When they finally released each other she saw a tear on his cheek. She leaned forward and tenderly kissed his cheek, right where the tear was. He pulled back, touching his face.

"Raven, you kissed me."

"Yeah, friends do that sometimes." She replied.

He leaned forward and returned her kiss, also on her cheek. The Chromatically Challenged Couple™ stared at each other, mesmerized. Then, as if synchronized by a common gear they leaned forward, closing their eyes as they timorously puckered up. Their lips slowly approached and were just millimeters apart when they were interrupted by a beeping sound.

They separated, as the spell was broken. The source of the sound was a timer Raven had in her jeweled belt, which she retrieved and silenced.

"It's time to call Slade." She announced as a blush that had formed on her face intensified.

"Ah, yeah, we should." An equally self conscious Beast boy agreed.

Raven pulled her laptop computer out of her suitcase and after turning it on she retrieved the data pad. Within a moment she entered the URL and the video chat window appeared and as expected Slade was there. What wasn't expected was his companion, who was of the female persuasion and had her arm wrapped around his waist.

"Terra?" Beast Boy asked.

The blond smiled.

"Hi BB, long time no see."

"So that's why you disappeared after being revived. You're with Slade; you've always been with him." Raven hissed.

Slade chuckled.

"Actually Raven, she's not just with me … allow me to introduce Tara Wilson … my wife."

The changeling was unable to conceal the utter revulsion he was feeling, but said nothing.

"You're joking?" Raven retorted.

Terra released Slade.

"It's no joke. I'm sorry BB; this is why I kept pushing you away after you found me …"

The changeling became frantic and waved his arms as he replied.

"But Terra, how can you be married to Slade? You … you killed him … you hate his guts."

A guttural growl formed in the changeling's throat.

"What did you do to her Slade? You had to do something to make her love you. You're doing some kind of mind control!"

"I did nothing, changeling. Terra returned to me of her own free will."

"No … way … Terra … tell me he's lying."

The blond averted her gaze.

"Beast Boy, remember what I told you? That I'm no longer the girl you remembered? That things change?" She replied.

A long, awkward silence followed, which Slade finally chose to break.

"Good, we got that out of the way. Now we can get down to business. I see from the background behind you that you're no longer in the Tower and have finally been forced into exile. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you are." Raven replied in a sullen voice.

"Good, that means that we can take the next step in our alliance."

"Next step? Since when are we even in an alliance?" Beast Boy protested.

"Don't delude yourself, Beast Boy. Just because we were opponents in the past doesn't mean we can't be allies today. And make no mistake; now that we have a common enemy, we are allies."

"So what is this next step, Slade?" Raven asked in a voice dripping in skepticism.

"We meet face to face. And you will finally get to meet the other members of our alliance."

Beast Boy snorted.

"Yeah, right. You'll ambush us and hand us over to Cutler. No thanks."

"I could do that, but I would be no more likely to collect the bounties on your heads than you would be to collect the one on mine if you captured me. You know that Cutler has a $300 million bounty on me. I'm sure that yours will be comparable when your 'betrayal' is publicly announced tomorrow."

"You're asking for a lot Slade, you want our trust."

"What else are you going to do, Raven? Hide in your safe house forever?"

Raven bristled at his remark.

"You know us better than that, Slade."

Slade chuckled before replying.

"Of course I do, but think about it, how effective will the two of you alone be against Cutler's regime? I'm sure that you'll be a painful thorn in his side, but that's all you'll be, a nuisance and nothing more. Our alliance has resources, Raven, resources that will surprise you."

"We don't wanna team up with bad guys." Beast Boy shouted.

"Why not? Tomorrow you'll be declared enemies of the US government."

"That doesn't mean we're bad guys! We're still the good guys!"

"Beast Boy, you will be surprised to learn just who is in the alliance."

"You mean there are heroes?" Raven asked incredulously.

"My dear child, right now, we are all heroes."

Raven crossed her arms and gave the one eyed villain a skeptical look.

"So where is this meeting going to be?"

"I've just transmitted the coordinates to you. Be there at 10 PM Eastern time tomorrow."

Raven looked at Beast Boy, who nodded back at her.

"Fine, we'll be there. And don't try anything Slade; you remember how powerful I've become since …"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Raven. Believe it or not, we need you."

"Yeah, right." Beast Boy grumbled. "Like Raven said, if you try anything we'll kick your butt so hard, you won't be able to sit on it for a week."

"That's the attitude I like to see. See you tomorrow, Titans."

The video image disappeared and was replaced with some coordinate numbers, which Raven wrote down. Beast Boy stared at the numbers, slowly shaking his head.

"That's disgusting …"

"Get over it. I always knew that Terra was evil, and don't tell me that she's just messed up, this goes way beyond messed up." She replied.

He continued shaking his head.

"No, he has to be using some sort of mind control on her."

"I don't think so. You need to let her go … she's always been attracted to him."

"He's a manipulator…"

"He is, but she wouldn't have married him unless …"

"Aughhh! I hate Slade!"

"It's OK, Garfield, I understand."

"No … look … I've let her go … really … I have."

He paused, his face betraying the turmoil he was feeling.

"He's always found a way to mess things up for me."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Raven, I've never kissed a girl, and it's his fault!"

"You just kissed me."

He gave her an exasperated look.

"That didn't count; I only kissed you on the cheek. That's how I used to kiss my mom …"

"A long time ago." He finished in a near whisper.

"Garfield …"

"Anyway, I meant a real kiss … you know ... the kind you give your girlfriend … not your mom … I came close twice … and both times …"

Raven was staring at him wide eyed, when with no warning, she reached behind his head and quickly pulled him in. Their lips touched and Beast Boy froze from the surprise. That only lasted a moment, and he melted into her soft lips.

After a few minutes they paused their smooch fest and opened their eyes. Their lips separated, if only a few millimeters.

"Raven." He spoke breathlessly. "Does this mean that we're a …"

He was unable to finish his question, as his green lips were once again smothered by her gray ones.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The mood at the breakfast table in the common room was somber. Starfire merely poked at her mustard drenched eggs with her fork, uninterested in eating them. Cyborg also stared blankly at his own plate; his stack of pancakes remained untouched.

Robin had nothing before him and merely sat at the table, drumming his fingers impatiently. He sent the report in first thing in the morning. He knew that the press would arrive at 10AM and they would be persistent in their nosiness as to what had happened.

It was all in his report. The official story was that Raven and Beast Boy agreed to sign the oaths, but Raven suggested that they do it in public, at City Hall, where the Mayor would then swear them in as citizens. Then, while the others slept, they fled in the darkness of the night.

It sounded very plausible, and it needed to be convincing, otherwise he, Starfire and Cyborg would fall under suspicion and that was something he didn't want. He glanced at the kitchen clock and saw that it was almost 9:30.

Robin's stomach suddenly growled and as he began to pour himself a bowl of raisin bran the console beeped, signaling an incoming message from the Capital. He was hoping it wouldn't happen, but deep down inside he knew it was inevitable. He stepped up to the console and pressed a button. Roger Messersmith's harried face appeared on the giant TV screen.

"Roger, good morning, I see you've received my report …"

"Never mind that, the President wants to talk with you … now."

Messersmith's anxious face was replaced by an angry Cutler. The man looked furious and a vein throbbed on his forehead as his image towered menacingly over them on the giant view screen.

"Mr. President." Robin calmly greeted him.

"What is the meaning of this, Robin!" The man thundered. "It was my understanding that you had your team under control!"

"I apologize, sir."

"And why didn't you have them sign the oaths immediately, as you were instructed!" Cutler's anger continued to build, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"It's in my report sir. We thought that it would be good PR to have them sign the oaths …"

"I'm not interested in what you think, boy! Had you followed my orders they would not have escaped! I will not tolerate this level of incompetence. Fail me again and you will be replaced! I didn't tolerate insubordination from the Batman and I won't tolerate it from you or your pathetic team of so called superheroes! Have I made myself clear!"

Starfire saw Robin's jaw tremble ever so subtly.

"Yes, sir."

"I have new orders for you and your team. Unlike Batman, I expect you to obey them!"

"Batman? Sir, what happened with the Batman?"

"Do not concern yourself with him, even if he was your mentor. But if you refuse to obey this order like he did, you will be dealt with, boy."

Cutler saw the look of confusion on Robin's face.

"You and your team will hunt down and capture Raven and Beast Boy, using whatever means necessary, and you will deliver them to me."

Starfire shrieked.

"Robin, will this be a problem? Or are you going to disappoint me, again?"

Silence.

"Speak up, boy!"

A small sigh escaped Robin's lips.

"No sir, it won't be a problem."

"Good! And remember, boy, I will tolerate no further failures." Cutler replied before the connection was cut.

Starfire and Cyborg stood stunned, unable to speak. Finally, the princess broke the silence.

"Robin, we cannot hunt down our friends. They are not criminals. We cannot obey Cutler's command."

For the first time in what was now feeling like an eternity to the Tamaranian, Robin smiled.

"No, Starfire, we aren't going to obey him."

"Alriiight!" Cyborg cheered. "It's about time we start acting like Titans again. So what's the plan, gel hair?"

"We leave, immediately, for our safe house in Brazil."

"What about the Tower?" Starfire asked. "Cutler's forces will occupy it if we leave."

"I know. Cyborg, back up all our databases immediately. Unfortunately, space is tight on the T-Ship, so we'll have to leave everything else behind."

"What? That means he'll get his hands on our tech." Cyborg complained.

Robin shook his head.

"No, he won't"

Starfire gasped.

"Man, I always wondered why you included that in the Tower's design. I never thought that we'd actually have to use it someday."

"I know. Cyborg, get the T-Ship ready for a trip to Brazil."

Cyborg nodded.

"After that, everyone pack what you can." Robin added.

Starfire looked sadly at her fiancé.

"What will you do, Robin?"

The Boy Wonder sighed.

"I'll arm the Tower's self destruct."

As the others hurried to pack their bags Robin walked up to the giant window, gazing blankly into infinity.

"I should have done this sooner." He muttered to himself.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The Team is now divided and unable to get in touch with each other. Will Robin and Starfire still marry? Will BB and Raven's new relationship survive the turmoil they've been cast into? Did Terra really marry Slade of her own free will (Yeah, I know, even I'm having a hard time believing that!)

A great big thank you to all who have continued to read and review, your support is always appreciated.

Also, after watching Young Justice today my guess was confirmed, YJ Beast Boy got his powers from Miss Martian. And apparently the "monkey boy" isn't his default form as in one scene he morphs back into a regular (if green) boy. He can also partially morph. In one scene he morphs into a gorilla and slams through the hull of a space ship. That's definitely beyond the power of a gorilla, but not beyond the power of a Martian shape shifter. He also jokes that if he were to get another blood transfusion from Miss Martian that he might acquire more powers.


	9. Breakfast in Vancouver

Beast Boy rolled over in his bed and popping open a single eye he glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand next to his bed, which cheerfully reported in its green LED glory that it was now 10:27AM. The green lad stretched and groaned. He then cracked a huge smile, as he recalled how he and his new girlfriend spent over three hours making out in the apartment's posh living room the night before. Those had been perhaps the best three hours of his entire life. Good enough to make him forget, albeit temporarily, that he was in exile in Canada and a wanted fugitive in his home country.

As he stretched again for a second time his sensitive ears heard noise coming from the apartment's kitchen, which meant that Raven was up and no longer in her room. Clad only in his pajama bottoms he rolled out of the bed and walked out of the room. The sight that greeted him made him smile. The table was set, with carafes of orange, grapefruit and pineapple juice, a platter with sliced melon and strawberries, a teapot resting under a cozy, jars of jam and a stack of Belgian waffles on another platter. Raven was loading the dishwasher as he entered the kitchen. Without turning around, she addressed him.

"Breakfast is ready, I was about to wake you. And if you wouldn't mind, please put on a T-Shirt. While your abs and chest are eye candy, I'd rather not see them at the breakfast table."

"Huh, how did you know? You didn't even look at me."

"I've lived with you for six years, don't you think I know you?"

"I didn't bring any T-Shirts."

"I know, there are some in the third drawer on the left in your bureau."

Beast Boy laughed.

"You really do think of everything!"

"Have I ever been known to not?"

Still chuckling the changeling turned around to head back to his room, but stopped.

"Uh, Rave, did you make those waffles?"

"Of course I did, and stop fretting; Cyborg taught me how to prepare the batter. We have the same wafflematic we had in the Tower, so they should be prepared perfectly. Now get dressed before they get cold." She droned in her monotone.

"You spoil me, Rave."

"Since I cooked, you get to clean up." She replied. "And after breakfast we're going out. There are some supplies that we need, and we're wearing our holorings. The neighbors have never met me before, so when we encounter any our story is that we're Garfield and Rachel Roth and that we're married. Hopefully the neighbors will leave us alone. Another thing, we should never wear our costumes while in Vancouver, not even at home. I bought you some civvies and they're in your closet."

"What about tonight?"

"I think we should wear holorings and civvies, I'd rather that we not be spotted anywhere that we go. Slade's coordinates are in Cancun, Mexico. We'd be instantly recognized there in our true forms. Now hurry up, the waffles are getting cold."

Beast Boy scurried off to his room. The warm fuzzies from last night's mildly erotic encounter had now all but evaporated as the looming meeting with Slade and his minions came to the front of his mind. He felt the unease churn in his gut as the unpleasant task roiled his mind. He consoled himself with the hope of another make out session before they left.

She was his girlfriend after all now, right?

_**-( scene break )-**_

The T-Ship soared above the southern Californian sky. Cyborg was at the controls in the central cockpit while Starfire and Robin were in their usual places. The Teen Wonder gazed down, seeing San Diego bay at 35,000 feet below. The international border up ahead was visibly noticeable as the Tijuana slums crowded against it, while on the American side a heavy armed and fortified no man's land had been carved out of south side of San Diego. Robin had the air traffic radio audio piped into his compartment, waiting for the greeting that would announce that they were no longer in US airspace. After what felt like an eternity the speaker crackled to life.

"_Titans 1, this is Ensenada Air Traffic control. Welcome to Mexico. Do you have a flight plan?"_

Robin turned his vision to a video monitor on his dashboard. In the middle of the screen stood Titans Tower.

"Good bye, old friend." Robin murmured as he pressed a button on his Titans communicator.

The Tower in the screen exploded in a furious holocaust. Robin watched, his jaw trembling as flaming debris slowly fell from the sky, landing both on the island and the bay. Robin picked up a microphone and clicked the press to talk button.

"This is Titans 1, our destination is Mexico City."

"_Thank you, Titans 1. Are you visiting on official US business?" _

Robin paused before answering.

"Negative. We are just passing through."

"_Understood Titans 1, Have a good flight."_

"Thank you, Ensenada. Titans 1, over and out."

_**-( scene break )-**_

"GARFIELD!" Raven shouted. "Come here, quick!"

"I'm in the shower!" He hollered back.

"Then put a robe on and get out here!" She screamed back.

Beast Boy quickly rinsed off and wrapped himself in one the sumptuous Turkish bathrobes Raven had hanging in the bathroom. His hair was still dripping as he entered the living room.

"Oh my God!" Were the first words to escape his lips.

The reporter's voice calmly described what the calamity shown on the screen.

"… _as can be seen in this footage that was smuggled out of the United States, Titans Tower, located in Jump City, California, was completely destroyed in what eyewitnesses are describing as an epic explosion, which was sensed by seismographs as far as Vancouver. So far there has been no coverage of this calamity in the American media and it is believed that outside of Jump City the average citizen remains unaware of what has happened. The American Embassy and all of its consular offices were expelled from Canada after relations with the US broke down. Reporters in London have been unable to get any comment whatsoever from the American Embassy there."_

"Raven … what happened?" The changeling's voice trembled.

"I don't know."

"… _there are no official reports on the whereabouts of the 5 Teen Titans. Some eyewitnesses claim to have seen the Titans signature T-Ship take off about an hour before the explosion, but these reports remain unconfirmed, and it also remains unknown who might have been aboard the T-Ship when it allegedly left … again … there is no official word from the US government …"_

"They got away … they had to … but why? What happened? Did Cutler turn on them?" He asked.

Raven crossed her arms, closing her eyes as she leaned back into the couch.

"That's a pretty reasonable assumption. I'm sure Cutler was furious when he got the news about us."

"So the Tower." Beast Boy interrupted. "They used the self destruct?"

"Probably, to make sure Cutler couldn't get a hold of our stuff. That's a shame; as I left behind some books that were rare. I should have started to move my stuff up her sooner … at least I moved my irreplaceable property here." Raven added.

" … _we're getting a live feed from the ABN's satellite …"_

The reporter, who was sitting in a studio with Toronto's skyline behind her, disappeared and was replaced by a visual from the Oval Office in the White House. President Cutler was seated at his desk. His face was eerily devoid of all emotion.

"_My fellow Americans, I'm sorry to announce that today we were betrayed by heroes who were supposed to protect our freedom loving land. The Teen Titans have fled the United States and destroyed their headquarters in the process."_

"_This treasonous act followed a good will gesture, where my administration generously offered citizenship to the Titans known as Beast Boy and Raven. This precious, and I will add, undeserved gift from the American people was spurned as if it was worthless piece of trash, a direct affront and insult to our great nation."_

"_It is now clear that the Teen Titans were spies and they destroyed their Tower in Jump City to eradicate any evidence which could be used to condemn them. My fellow Americans, we don't need any physical 'proof' as the actions of Robin and his team of foreigners, who are enemies of the American people, bear witness against them!"_

"_This transmission is being beamed to the whole world, unencrypted, because I have an announcement to make. The United States government is offering a 1 billion dollar bounty on the Teen Titans, and a 150 million dollar bounty on each individual Titan. And we want them alive, so they can be brought to trial for their crimes."_

"_Do not worry, my fellow citizens, this is but a minor setback for us. We are an anointed people, with a divine role and destiny in this corrupt and faithless world. We are in the right and nothing can stop us from taking our appointed place in the world. America Will Triumph!"_

Cutler's Oval Office was replaced by the Presidential Seal, which was superimposed on top of the Patriot Party's seal. The camera then switched back to the CBC studio in Toronto.

"_And that was American President Cutler's official announcement. And now, for some analysis we take you to our panel of experts …"_

Raven shut off the TV, tossing the remote control onto the coffee table when she was done.

"At least we know for certain they're still alive." Raven announced in a morose voice.

"But which Titan's safe house did they go to?"

"Probably one that is as far away as possible."

"So it could be Botswana, the South Pacific, Brazil or Australia."

"Maybe, maybe not. And without our communicators we can't reach them."

"We could visit the safe houses, one by one." He added.

"We could, but I doubt they'll stay put for long. The safe houses are designed for temporary use only. And to make things worse, just like us they're trying to stay hidden."

"So what do we do, Rave? Wherever they're going, they won't get there for a while. Do we just go and see Slade?"

"We should. I'm curious to see how much he knows about this … you should get dressed, we're gonna need to leave soon, after we run our errands. I'll need to make three teleportation jumps to get us to Cancun, and I'll need to rest between each one."

The changeling nodded, and after giving her a tender kiss on the lips he pulled away. She grabbed his wriste, pulling him back towards her. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a fiery kiss. After a long minute they separated.

"I'd better … go get dressed … you know … I'm not wearing anything under this robe."

"Yes, my horny boyfriend, I am aware. But now is not the time to even think of such a thing."

The changeling blushed.

"Sorry, Rave … I'll go get ready." He stammered as he left for his bedroom.

As he dressed he recalled Raven's words … "Now is not the time…" Did that mean that later might be the time? He stopped dressing as the words sank in.

"Whoa" He mumbled to himself as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Did she mean what I think she meant?"

He then laughed and shook his head.

"Don't be dumb, BB, she didn't mean that."

Or did she?

_**-( scene break )-**_

After refueling in Mexico City, the T-Ship quickly departed, heading over towards the Mexican Pacific coast. It would be their last known heading as they now had enough fuel to get to any of the safe houses without stopping. They would be flying just a few hundred feet above the ocean to avoid radar detection. This would add hours to the trip as the T-Ship, as any aircraft, had to fly at a slower speed in the thicker air of the lower atmosphere.

While they were in Mexico City they shared a quick lunch at Benito Juarez airport. After they ate Robin entered a phone booth and placed a call. The line only rang once before a female voice answered.

"_Linda's Bean Bag Emporium."_

"Hi Babs, it's Dick."

"_Dick! Are you OK?"_

"I'm fine … I'm out of the country … say, was there anything interesting on the news today?"

"_You won't believe it, but Titans Tower was destroyed."_

"You don't say? I heard they were traitors."

"_You bet they are, the President has put a 1 billion dollar bounty on their heads."_

"I'm not surprised." He continued to speak in code. "Say, have you seen Bruce lately?"

"_No, I haven't. He and Alfred are also out of the country, I guess they went on some sort of vacation."_

Dick faked a chuckle.

"You know Bruce, he probably went chasing after some ladies. Do you know where they went?"

"_Nah, he didn't say."_

"Figures, he never wants to share in the fun. You know what we should all do? We should go see the World Cup in Brazil in 2014."

"_That does sound like fun. I'll pop the bug into Bruce's ear the next time I see him. Maybe he'll spring for it; I sure can't afford that on my income."_

Dick laughed.

"You do that! Hey, I gotta run, love ya red!"

"_Love you too. Say hi to your girl for me."_

Dick hung up the phone. At least now Barbara Gordon knew he was taking his team to hide in Brazil. Still, it disturbed him that she, the bat clan's wheelchair bound Oracle, didn't know where Bruce was hiding. Or maybe Bruce had instructed her to not tell anyone? Robin shrugged his shoulders, knowing he had done all he could to reach Bruce for the time being.

The question still hanging above him, how was going to find Raven and Beast Boy?

_**-( scene break )-**_

A black hemisphere emerged from the sidewalk in front of the tropical Mexican mansion. As the bubble vanished Beast Boy took in a deep breath of the heavy, tropical air. His sensitive nostrils could smell the scent of mango and other tropical fruit trees that grew nearby. Raven looked for the address marker on the gated entrance. Like in most 3rd world mansions, the mansion was surrounded by a cinderblock fence that had barbed wire on the top and the only entrance was a large, solid metal gate, or a saguan as the locals called it. Before they approached the door to ring the bell, it opened.

"Punctual as always, Raven." A familiar female voice welcomed them.

"Good Evening, Terra, or should I call you Mrs. Slade Wilson?"

"Either one works for me. So, are the rumors true, are you guys really a couple? It would be so freaky if you were."

"Freaky?" Raven growled in her monotone.

"So it is true. Well, good for you guys. I was worried that neither of you would ever find someone special."

"Since when do you ever worry about us?"

Terra shook her head.

"You need to stop living in the past, don't you agree, daughter of Trigon?"

"I see Slade has shared my secret with you."

"We share all sorts of things." Terra grinned. "How about you guys?"

Beast Boy nearly exploded.

"I don't want to know what you do with Slade, and what Rave and I do together, it's none of your business!"

Terra smirked.

"Oh BB, you mean she doesn't put out? You poor thing. Slade told me that demons are obsessed with sex, I wonder why she's holding back on you."

"Enough!" Raven bellowed. "We came to attend a meeting, if all you're gonna do is insult us then we'll just leave."

"Temper, temper, Rae." Terra smirked. "I was just having some fun with you guys. Come, the meeting's about to start."

Raven and Beast Boy followed Terra into the complex. A uniformed guard, armed with a submachine gun, closed the door with a heavy thud. The mansion grounds were sumptuous, worthy of a billionaire. Raven wondered who might actually own the property, as it didn't seem to be something Slade would own. She figured that it belonged to some Mexican drug lord whose 'business' had been affected by Cutler's militia which now jealously guarded the Mexican border from California all the way to Texas, effectively shutting down the illegal drug trade, or at least the trade that didn't benefit Cutler directly.

Terra led them into the mansion, passing more armed guards along the way. Raven and Beast Boy were dressed in their civvies and were still wearing their holorings. Once inside the massive house Terra told them that it was safe to take the rings off, which they did.

The house was massive and Terra finally led them to an inner courtyard, which had a small pool. The two Titans immediately recognize the dozens of exiled supervillains: Lex Luthor, Dr. Sivana, The Riddler, Catwoman and Brother Blood, to name a few. Jinx and her gang were also present, as were some of the Titans past opponents such as Atlas, Adonis, and others. The Brotherhood of Evil was conspicuous by its absence. But so far they were the only "good guys" present and they stood out like a pair of sore thumbs. They were approached by a gnarly old man with coke bottle glasses: Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.

"So you're the so called Teen Titans, are you? Oh, my life would have been so much easier had I faced you instead of the Big Red Cheese."

"Don't bet on it dude. We might not be as strong as Captain Marvel, be we can hold our own."

"Don't mind Sivana, he's always been a jerk."

The changeling's eyes grew wide when saw the red and gold clad man who spoke.

"Captain Marvel?" The changeling stammered. "Whoa! It really is you!"

"Welcome to our strange party, which I believe is about to begin."

Slade cleared his throat.

"We all know why we are here. We have a problem, and his name is Adam Cutler. But before we proceed I want to introduce our host … Steve Dayton, plus a few of his friends."

"Mento?" Beast Boy gasped.

Mento joined Slade at the makeshift podium, followed by another masked hero.

The Batman.

_**-( scene break )-**_

An alliance with villains? Will it work? Or will there be double crosses to spare before this tale is over.

And for those who were grossed out by the prospect of Terra and Slade being married having a 'physical relationship' … Terra and Slade were lovers in the 1980's vintage comic book arc known collectively as "The Judas Contract", which the Terra arc in the show is based on.

The Judas Contract is published in graphic novel format by DC Comics and is available for sale at places like Amazon. The full title of the book is: "The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract."


	10. Danger in the Sky

The courtyard slowly fell silent, the myriad conservations extinguished one by one as the assembled villains stared in trepidation at the Dark Knight. The silence was soon replaced by a round of murmurs, which grew louder. Beast Boy was able to discern some of them with his sensitive ears, and what he heard was less than friendly. The crowd was slowly but steadily becoming disturbed with the situation. Finally, someone shouted what everyone else was thinking.

"Slade! What's the meaning of this? It's bad enough that these Titans are here, but you never said anything about Captain Marvel or Batman!"

Slade crossed his arms in a relaxed and nonchalant fashion.

"Relax, Arthur, you have nothing to worry about …"

"That's Dr. Light to you, Slade."

Slade emitted a subtle chuckle.

"Still reliving your old glory days, are you, Arthur? Once again, calm yourself, we are in good company. As for why the Batman and the others have joined us … you already know the answer."

"We should be able to do this on our own." Another voice shouted from the crowd.

"But you can't … and neither can we." Batman addressed the angry mob.

"We don't trust you!" Someone else shouted.

"And I don't trust you either, you scum sucking dirt bags. But I don't have any other choice, and neither do you. Don't think for a minute that any of you are safe just because you aren't living in the USA. Cutler is eventually going to come after each and every one of you. It might be an unmanned drone or maybe he'll send Navy Seals. I wouldn't put it beyond him to send in an airstrike or a cruise missile once he becomes more confident."

"So what's the plan, Bats? Do we just go in and take him out?" Another voice shouted.

"Yeah? And where's your pals, the Justice League? How come you ain't hiding out in that high falutin space station with them?" Yet another villain shouted.

The Dark Knight frowned before answering.

"He's too well protected. We can't reach him. As for the Justice League … I resigned."

"I say we just nuke DC." Harley Quinn shouted.

Slade spoke up.

"Cutler doesn't live in DC, at least not on a daily basis. He has at least 20 different residences, many which are occupied randomly by body doubles. If we attack and fail, he will garner even more support from the people. Our strategy is to cause the opposite to happen."

"Say what?" A minor villain shouted. "That'll take forever."

"It's the only way that will work." Lex Luthor shouted above the din. "We can't overthrow Cutler without the people's support. And right now they love him."

"And how do we accomplish that?" Dr. Light interjected.

Batman stepped back into the conversation.

"Our strategy is two fold. There are already resistance cells forming in the country. Right now they are few, but we can grow them but it will take time as discontent will slowly settle in, and that's time we need to buy. And we will buy time by performing acts of sabotage. Cutler has already seized control of the US based operations of companies such as Dayton Industries, Lexcorp, Sivana Industries and others. All of these are performing advanced military R&D for Cutler. We have intimate knowledge of these companies which will aid us in sabotaging them. Bruce Wayne, who has also gone into exile, has also pledged his assistance. The more we sabotage, the more we will be able to prevent Cutler from moving his empire beyond American boundaries. It goes without saying that this will be dangerous and risky work."

Slade continued.

"Dayton Industries is manufacturing my Mark 7 robots in various locations around the world and we have 2,000 available right now. They will perform the heavy lifting so to speak, but each mission will still require human leadership and this is where you come in."

Batman spoke again.

"We need to begin immediately. Slade will coordinate the sabotage operations. He will assign the missions, starting tonight. Mento will select some of you to start working with the resistance cells. Some of you are especially good at working undercover and hiding. You will need to teach these skills to the resistance, as few of them have a clue about what they're up against and most are untrained amateurs. That will be all. It will take some time to speak with each of you tonight, so be patient. A buffet meal will be served shortly."

Batman stepped down from the podium while the bulk of the villains began to mob Slade, Luthor and Dr. Sivana with questions. The Dark Knight approached the two Titans and subtly gestured them to follow him. He led them to a small conference room that was off the atrium. As was his style he was blunt and got to the point.

"Do you know where Robin went?" He asked.

"We don't know for sure, but he probably took Star and Cyborg to one of our safe houses." Beast Boy interjected.

"Yes, that would be the sensible thing to do. We should assume that they are headed to the safe house in Amazon forest in Brazil."

Raven able to conceal her surprise, whereas Beast Boy failed miserably.

"Dude, that place is supposed to be a secret! And you know about it? How?" He shrieked.

"I make it my business to know." Batman replied in a deadpan.

"And how do you know that they are headed for Brazil?" Raven asked in a calm voice that barely betrayed a hint of irritation.

"I've been tracking them with a satellite."

"You mean a Wayne Tech satellite … am I right … Mr. Wayne?" Raven replied in the flattest monotone the changeling had ever heard coming from her … or anyone else.

The Dark Knight did not even flinch.

"I see now why Robin thinks so highly of you, 'Miss Rachel Roth'. By the way, that's a nice condo you have in Vancouver."

Raven crossed her arms.

"Why did you tell us this?" She asked.

"Think about it, Raven. Wayne Tech sold similar satellites to the CIA before Cutler's time. The T-Ship has some great stealth tech, but my satellites were able to track it. And if my satellites can see the T-Ship, so can Cutler's satellites. And to make matters worse, the 8th fleet is on maneuvers off the South American coast, with two aircraft carriers and they are right in the T-Ship's flight path. They are flying straight into an ambush and because they're under radio silence we can't warn them."

The two Titans became wide eyed upon hearing Batman's revelation.

"Dude, we have to do something!" Beast Boy wailed.

"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do. I will fly down there immediately in the Batwing. Hopefully I can rescue them; if they survive the attack … Robin is resourceful …"

"We're coming with you." Raven interjected.

"Negative, if you come I won't have any room in the Batwing for Robin or Cyborg. The Princess can fly under her own power … plus you need to prepare for your first mission …"

"Do you really expect us to prepare for a mission while our friends are in danger?" Raven hissed.

Batman glared at the sorceress.

"Since there is nothing you can do for them, then yes, that is what I expect you to do. Slade will brief you on your sabotage mission, which will be in your old home town, Jump City."

The two Titans frowned their displeasure.

"I need to leave immediately. But before I leave I want you to have these."

Batman handed them each a ring.

"What are these?" The changeling asked.

"Justice League emergency teleportation beacons. You activate them by twisting the top of the ring 180 degrees. You will be instantly transported to the Watchtower in high orbit if you do so. Just don't expect a warm welcome if you use it. I'm not supposed to have these anymore and you're not supposed to have them at all … Raven, Beast Boy … good luck."

Without saying another word the Dark Knight turned and left.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Starfire stifled a bored yawn. According to the T-Ship's GPS system they were 420 km off of the coast of Ecuador, and they were flying at a lazy 240 knots at just a few hundred feet above the vast Pacific Ocean. The princess impatiently drummed her fingers on the armrest in her compartment. She could easily fly twice as fast as the T-Ship under the current conditions. They were 10 hours into the flight from Mexico City and it had been hours since she last saw even a small island, as Cyborg carefully plotted a course that would prevent them from being observed by unfriendly eyes.

Cyborg had installed the T-Ship's stealth technology just a year before. It was invisible to civilian radar systems and nearly invisible to state of the art military radar, which would see the T-Ship as a flock of birds. Robin had chosen to not take any chances of being detected. He wanted to arrive at the safe house, which was hidden deep in the heart of Brazil's Matto Grosso, in the wilderness of the Amazon rainforest. There they would recover and regroup, and the first order of business would be to locate Raven and Beast Boy, who would be doing their best to remain hidden and out of sight from Cutler's secret police and spies.

Starfire gazed at the navigation computer display on her dashboard. It said that it would take 8 more hours to arrive at the safe house. She yawned a second time as she flipped listlessly through a magazine she had already read three times. Heaving an exasperated sigh she tossed it aside and stared blankly out of her cockpit canopy.

She almost missed seeing it, but her keen alien eyes detected the slight motion of the distant object, which was still invisible to Robin's and Cyborg's human eyes. The T-Ship was flying with its radar turned off, so as not to broadcast their position. While keeping it turned off made them invisible, it also made them blind.

Starfire continued to stare into the void, and she gasped. She now saw several motes in the distance, all moving a high speed in their directions. She tapped on her intercom headphones.

"Cyborg, I believe we have what you call 'the company', straight ahead of us."

The Tin Man used his cybernetic to scan the horizon ahead of them. At first he saw nothing.

"Are you sure you ain't seein' things Star? I know you're bored and …"

He stopped midsentence when his eye finally locked onto something. He zoomed his eye in and frowned when he saw in detail what the mote really was. He continued scanning and found 11 more.

"Robin! We got company! There's twelve F-35's heading our way."

"Did you say twelve?" Robin replied through the intercom.

"Correction, there's eighteen … negative … there's twenty one … wait … shit ... there's over forty of them … they're trying to get a lock on us."

"We need to get out of here, now." Robin shouted. "There's too many of them."

By this point Cyborg has turned on the T-Ship's radar.

"Crap! We're surrounded. There's at least 100 fighters, there's no way out!"

Robin flipped a switch, activating the T-Ship's weaponry.

"We're gonna have to fight our way out of this one."

"Against 100 F35's? I'm also seeing two aircraft carriers, still launching more jets. This is suicide, Rob."

Robin frowned as the first F-35's were now becoming visible to the naked eye.

"Prepare to separate." His voice, flat and devoid of emotion, echoed in their head phones.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven and Beast Boy poked at the food on their plates. The sun had risen and they still had yet to see Slade about their mission, even though they had been up all night. They were restless and anxious to leave. In addition to the rings, Batman had given them a mobile Batwave communicator, with the promise of updates when he had news regarding their lost friends. He should have arrived in Brazil hours ago, and there was still no news. A sense of dread hung over them like Damocles' sword, threatening to break the delicate horsehair that held it in place and come crashing down on them.

"Raven, Beast Boy." Slade called out to them in his own signature monotone.

Abandoning their uneaten meals the two weary Titans rose and entered Slade's busy looking office in the mansion.

"I'm pleased to see that you're still here. I assumed that you would have run off to find your friends."

"Don't think for a moment that we weren't seriously tempted." Raven retorted.

Slade stared at the sorceress before replying.

"If they survived the ambush, Batman will find them."

"There's no 'if', Slade." Beast Boy snarled at him. "They survived."

"Your faith in your friends is admirable. Believe it or not, I too am optimistic about their survival. But we have a mission to discuss."

"Let's get this over with." Raven groaned.

Slade gestured for them to join him sitting down at the small table in his office. They reluctantly agreed and took their seats. He then handed them a manila folder, which Raven immediately opened. In addition to dozens of sheets of paper with the words "Sivana Industries Confidential" stamped on them in red ink, it contained several photographs of Gotham class attack submarines, which Sivana built for the government.

"Two brand new Gotham class subs are being assigned to the Jump City Naval Station. Your mission is straight forward: destroy them."

"Those subs are nuclear powered, Slade. If the reactors are damaged they could contaminate the bay." Beast Boy complained.

"Correct, which is why you need to be careful when you destroy them. The dossier has the information you need to accomplish the task, without causing a radioactive spill." Slade replied. "Of course, you could take them out into the open sea and sink them somewhere deep, but that would be very difficult, if not impossible to accomplish. It's much more effective to simply damage them while in dock, causing enough mayhem to make it impractical to refurbish them."

"And we're destroying the subs because Cutler can use them against other countries." Raven added.

"Correct, my dear child." He replied as he handed her and Beast Boy each a small backpack that felt heavy. "Use these explosive charges on your mission, there are more than enough. I will dispatch 75 of my robots to create a distraction in the Naval Station, they will attack a pair of destroyers that will be anchored there. While they are not our primary targets, their destruction would be the proverbial icing on the cake."

Beast Boy opened his bag and extracted one of the small explosives. It was identical to the one Slade used in Trigon's lair to blast the door open and recover his promised flesh and blood, right down to the ubiquitous 'S' logo.

"The subs won't arrive for three more days, so go home and rest." Slade instructed them. "Now, I believe that Mento wishes to have a word with you. Good luck, Titans."

The two heroes swung the back packs over their shoulders and left without saying a word. As they emerged from Slade's office they saw Mento, who beckoned them to join him. They joined him in his office. He closed the door and they sat down around another table, where he too gave them a dossier.

"This contains the contact information for a resistance group in Tacoma, Washington. You will use your undercover personas when you join the group, they should never know your true identities. Your first task is to grow the group; over time we will send you operatives to help you train them to perform resistance activities. For now, you only need to help recruit."

The two Titans nodded and got up to leave.

"Will that be all?" Raven asked.

"No … please sit down."

The two Titans, still disguised with their holorings, resumed their place in their seats.

"I want to talk with you about your living arrangements. Is it true, that you are now a couple, or were those high profile dates back in Jump City just for show?"

"I fail to see what business that is of yours." Raven replied.

"My wife and I adopted Garfield when he was a child, since he is our son, it's our business … demoness."

"Now you just hold on there …" Garfield growled as he began to rise to his feet. He stopped, as he felt Raven's hand wrapped tightly around his wrist, and slowly sat back down.

"Garfield and I are indeed a couple."

"So it's safe to presume that you are already sleeping together?" Mento frowned.

"That would be an incorrect presumption." Raven calmly replied in her monotone.

Mento stared at the young woman. It was plainly obvious to Raven that he didn't care for her, not one bit.

"But if we were to decide to take our relationship to the physical level, that would be our decision to make, and not yours."

Dayton glared at the sorceress.

"You'd like that, witch, wouldn't you? To get your hands on my boy. I know all about demons and their insatiable sexual appetites."

He turned to his adoptive son.

"Garfield, you can do better than her, far better. If you're having trouble meeting nice girls, your mom can help …"

"Dad! Knock it off! Rave's my girl, OK? She's a nice girl too … and we're not having sex."

Mento sighed.

"Fine, but please Garfield, whatever you do, don't get her pregnant, OK? We want to have grandchildren someday, but just not any … Trigon spawn."

Beast Boy grabbed Raven's hand and dragged her out of the room, without even saying good bye to his adoptive father.

"What the hell's his problem?" The changeling grumbled as they headed back into the now nearly empty atrium. "You'd think he'd be happy I have a girl as cool as you are … but no … all he can do is complain."

Raven placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"It's OK, Garfield, he's just being protective, it's what parents do. And thanks for standing up for me. Demonesses are never referred to as 'nice girls'."

"I don't need to be protected. And what's with him? He practically called you a slut."

"He has a point Gar, demons do have powerful libidos, far beyond what humans have, it's one of the reasons I have to meditate so much, so I can keep it under control. Fortunately I'm only half demon, so it's … manageable."

The changeling stared at her, wide eyed.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely, but don't worry. I won't allow it to interfere with our relationship, at least not until we're ready to move to the next level."

"Next level?" He squeaked. "You mean … uh, when will … we … uh … that be?"

She smiled at her boyfriend.

"I don't know, I suppose we'll just know when the time comes … are you ready to go home, Gar?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm beat; I need to hit the hay … after I take a cold shower."

Raven raised her arms and the black hemisphere appeared, ready to teleport them to their destination.

"Boys, all you do is think about sex." She teased him.

"You're one to talk." He replied as the sphere disappeared, taking them home.

_**-( scene break )-**_

I left you with a cliff hanger. You know I'm evil.

Thanks again to all my faithful readers and especially to those who review. I've said this before, but it's worth repeating: Reviews are the currency of fan fiction. It's how you, the readers, pay the writers for their work. Reviews make our day. So if you read any story you like, be sure to leave the author a review, even if you are reading an old story that was published years ago. And don't worry if you feel that you have nothing profound to say. Just tell the author about one thing you enjoyed in the chapter.

Thanks, and see you next time.


	11. The Jungle

"Prepare to separate." His voice, flat and devoid of emotion, echoed in their head phones.

The three Titans pressed the release buttons in their cockpits and one by one the individual modules separated, tiny jets hissing as they pushed them apart. Two of the modules, normally occupied by the changeling and the sorceress, were under automatic control, each piloted by advanced computers programmed by Cyborg. The empty modules immediately veered away and began to engage the fighter jets that were now swarming around them like a cloud of angry bees. Robin knew that the automated modules would be no match against their opponents, but silently hoped they would last long enough to make a difference, taking down as many fighters as possible.

The three manned modules stayed together, waiting for the enemy to attack. They were not disappointed as a volley of missiles approached them from all directions and their goal was clear and sinister: to destroy them, to blow them out of the sky. Take no prisoners.

"Evasive maneuver alpha!" The Boy Wonder shouted into the headphones.

The three ships turned upwards, doing wide spirals around each other. Dozens of missiles, all with unbreakable locks on the three ships, followed them into the triple helix, quickly gaining ground on them. As the three continued to ascend their helixes grew tighter and they got closer and closer to each other, to the point where they were almost touching each other as they continued to spin in their ascent.

The missiles were now closing in, also equally close and spinning in a helix like fashion. At this point the three targets appeared to be one to the menagerie of missiles. Robin pressed a button on his console and his ship ejected a small decoy, the size of a softball, which fell back towards the chasing missiles.

"Scatter!"

The three ships broke out of their helix pattern and took off in different directions. The lead missile remained locked onto the decoy, and made contact with it seconds later, exploding in a glowing fireball. The remaining missiles began to explode in succession, a staccato chain reaction of detonations worthy of a 4th of July display and they were all destroyed.

The two drone ships, under automatic control, had already begun to engage the seemingly endless waves of fighter jets, and had already shot down several of the US Navy fighters when a Phoenix missile connected with the unit that normally belonged to the changeling. The ship's armor kept total destruction at bay, but it still crashed into the cold waters below, finally exploding upon impact. Raven's unoccupied ship soon followed it after succumbing to rounds of cannon fire coming from several attackers.

Cyborg watched Raven's ship explode upon crashing, knowing well that the same fate awaited them unless they could somehow escape. The T-Ship's modules were superior to the Navy's fighter jets in every way that mattered, but they remained hopelessly outnumbered. There was no way they could win this battle. The Tin Man tapped on his headset.

"Rob, Star! We have to engage them in dogfights in close quarters, so they can't use their missiles. If we can take enough of them out, we might be able to make a run for it and escape!"

The other two understood and altered their courses to intercept the densest areas in the sky that had the most jets.

Starfire was the best pilot in the team. Having the gift of flight since a tender age and warrior training by the Okarran war lords she had a natural understanding of three dimensional combat that her teammates, as talented as they were, lacked. She quickly shot down four enemy fighters with her laser cannons. One of the squadron leaders quickly recognized her skill and summoned a few other squadrons to assist his team, as she was clearly the biggest threat and needed to be neutralized first.

Robin and Cyborg immediately noticed that about half of their opponents in the sky disengaged. They took advantage of the lull to take out as many fighters as they could. Robin's module took some cannon fire, which left gaping holes in his hull, but missed hitting any vital systems. Cyborg had a few close calls, but remained untouched for the time being. As he banked to the left, ready to reengage his remaining opponents, he gasped.

"Rob! Star's in trouble!"

Robin also gasped when he saw his fiancé's ship billowing smoke while she continued to fight back, still shooting down opponents, whose parachutes lower in the sky resembled a field full of mushrooms. Robin clenched his teeth. He was barely coping with his load, which was a fraction of what the princess was facing. There was ni=o way he could help her.

As he watched, Starfire's module shook violently while flames came out of the engine's nacelle. The flames quickly grew and the fiery plume that trailed the ship grew to several times the ship's size, while the enemy continued to fire upon it.

"STARFIRE!"

As Robin screamed the canopy popped off of the Tamaranian's module and an ejector seat shot out of the cockpit, and not a second too soon as the crippled ship began to fall towards the ocean, exploding during its calamitous fall.

Starfire undid her seat harness, allowing the ejector seat to fall empty into the ocean, without deploying its parachute. Her eyes glowed green and she began to launch star bolts at the enemy fighters that still surrounded her, dodging their deadly fire as she performed a ballet like dance in the sky.

"Cyborg! We have to do something! There's no way she's gonna last long against them! There's still too many fighers"

"I'm open to suggestions, Rob!"

Robin gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he searched for a solution.

"Star! Cyborg! Join me over here. Maybe we can punch a hole in the perimeter. If we can then we'll make a run for the mainland. Once we're in Peruvian airspace they'll have to back off."

The two Titans quickly joined him and a desperate attempt to escape began. At first it didn't go well as the enemy quickly reacted, shifting their forces over to the quadrant where the three were trying to punch through. For a moment Robin felt that escape was impossible.

"Starfire, go into space! Save yourself!"

The princess grunted as she heaved star bolt after star bolt at their enemies, taking down a few more fighters in the process.

"Never!" She screamed into her headset. "We will be victorious!"

"But Star, my radar shows that even more jets are on their way." Cyborg interrupted. "Robin's right, save yourself! There's no point in you dying with us."

The princess performed an impossibly complex maneuver, worthy of a housefly in its unpredictability. After shooting down two more fighters she launched herself deep into the perimeter, which was swarming with bogeys.

"We. Will. Not. Die!" She shrieked as she dived into the maelstrom of jets.

As she penetrated deeper and deeper into the enemy's perimeter her body began to glow green and an emerald color sphere, the same hue as her star bolts began to grow around her.

"Rob, she's gonna do a Nova!" Cyborg shouted. "Brace yourself!"

Robin had seen her form the energy spheres before, but the size of this one, which continued to grow, dwarfed anything he had ever seen her conjure. Robin shielded his eyes just in time as the huge sphere erupted. The air reverberated from the shockwave. The glare lasted several seconds and when it finally abated Robin saw his sweetheart levitating in the middle of unoccupied airspace. She waved her arm, gesturing them to follow her.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Beast Boy played a game of Mega Monkeys half heartedly on the GameStation while Raven assiduously studied a large map of South America she had unfolded onto the kitchen table, while she ate some Chinese take out straight out of the box with a pair of chopsticks. The changeling turned off the game console and resumed eating his own lunch, also out of the box, as he approached his girlfriend.

"What are you looking for, Rave?"

She shook her head.

"I'm not sure." She mumbled as she pointed to an area off of the Peruvian coast. "Batman said they were intercepted here."

She mumbled something inaudible, before turning to her boyfriend.

"Gar, what would you do if you were ambushed there." She tapped on the map.

"I'd try to get away."

"But to where?"

"To the safe house?" He replied.

Raven grabbed a sharpie and drew an X in the Brazilian Matto Grosso. She then drew a straight line from the combat zone to the safe house.

"How can we help them Gar?"

"The fight's probably over, Rave. We could go meet them at the safe house … if they made it that far."

Raven frowned at the map. Three of the most important people to her in the whole world were out there, somewhere, fighting for their lives. She hoped that they were still alive, but had been mentally preparing herself for the worst news possible.

The Batwave communicator, which was resting on the kitchen counter, began to chirp.

"It's about time he called us." She grumbled impatiently as she picked up the Batwave and answered the call. A holographic image of the Dark Knight appeared above the communicator, floating like a ghost in the air.

"_I have bad news"_ The ghostly visage announced.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The two T-Ship modules veered off from their attack patterns and followed the princess into the impromptu demilitarized zone. There was a strong smell of burned fuel and ozone in the air, and Robin saw dozens of jets below, their fiery wreckage falling into the ocean below. There were no parachutes and that meant but one thing: there were no survivors in the jets that had suffered the misfortune of being within the destruction radius of Starfire's Nova sphere. Unlike her teammates, the princess was a true warrior, and she was willing to take lives in a battle if it became necessary. Robin understood well just how much a Nova could take out of Starfire's reserves; it was amazing that she was still airborne at all.

"Star! Are you OK?" He radioed her.

"I am weakened, but I can still fight if required."

"Forget that, we're out of here! Titans! Retreat!"

As the two ships and the flying alien zoomed away at supersonic speed a pair of squadrons, having recovered from the shock of the Nova, began to give chase. The damaged T-Ship modules and the depleted princess were unable to attain their normal top speed, with which they would have easily been able to out run their pursuers. As it was the Navy jets were slowly gaining on them as they raced to the Peruvian coast line. Robin began to relax, as his nav computer indicated that they would be within the safe harbor of sovereign Peruvian airspace long before their attackers would catch up with them. He continued to watch the radar screen nervously as the enemy continued to close in. Finally the Peruvian coast line was visible and a few minutes later they were safely in Peruvian air space. Robin's radio squawked to life.

"This is Peru Air Control. Identify yourselves."

"This is Titans 1. We are being pursued by the US Navy and seek refuge."

"Refuge granted Titans 1. US Navals, this is Peru Air Control, you are denied permission to enter Peruvian airspace."

The radio fell silent for a moment, until finally the American response was given.

"Negative, Peru Air Control. We are pursuing enemy bogeys. Do not scramble your interceptors. If you do, that will be considered a hostile act and they will be shot down".

Robin slammed his fist on the dashboard in his compartment. He knew that the rickety Peruvian Air Force would be no match for state of the art US Navy fighters.

They were still on their own.

"Keep going!" Robin called out to the others. "Maybe they won't follow us into Brazil."

"I don't think so. We're gonna hafta fight 'em, Rob." Cyborg replied.

"I agree." Starfire's voice piped up. "There are now only 24 jets."

"OK, but let's take the fight away from any populated areas. Star, are you sure you can fight? If you're too weak I still want you fly into space …"

"Never! I will not leave you behind. We will be victorious!"

"OK, we fight. The Andes aren't too far away; we'll engage them over the mountains, between the peaks. Our maneuverability will give us an edge."

Within minutes they were flying over the rugged Andes, where Robin led them down into the turbulent air around the lofty summits. The Navy fighters had caught up with them and began to fire their cannons. The three Titans began their evasive actions and fired back. Cyborg scored an early kill, and the Navy pilot safely ejected from his wreckage.

The lopsided dogfight raged in its fury and intensity. Starfire and Robin joined in the victory count and soon there were a total of 8 Navy jets shot down. The Titans took their lumps as well. Both ships continued to get hit, but remained airworthy. Robin watched as his laser energy reserves were approaching depletion. He would soon be out of ammo.

Starfire's reserves were running low as well. She would fire a few star bolts and would have to wait several seconds recharging from the suns warm rays before firing off another volley. She was extremely vulnerable during her recharge periods and during one of those brief periods a cannon shot hit her square in the chest. The projectile did not penetrate her, but it did send send her tumbling into the void, flopping like a rag doll as she fell. Robin heard the Navy pilot gloat as he opened his radio channel.

"_I got the alien bitch; beers are on me when we get home!" _

Robin veered his ship towards the braggart and opened fire, shooting until his energy supply was depleted. The Navy jet exploded in a giant fireball and the masked Titan saw that no one bailed out. He felt a chill go down his spine as he realized that he killed the pilot. The world began to fade to gray, until he heard a familiar voice in his head set.

"Robin, I am OK, but I can no longer fight." She called out.

There were now just 6 jets left and they heard another Navy pilot yell in anger.

"_Those scumbags killed Ryan! Let's get them and make them pay!"_

"I'm out of ammo too." Robin called out. "Cyborg?"

"I still have some, but I don't know how much longer this baby can fly. She's got more holes in her than a Swiss cheese."

"Let's get out of here. If we can make it to the safe house, we can recover." Robin replied.

The two modules and Starfire veered off, on a course straight into the Brazilian jungle. The men strained their ships to fly as fast as possible. Fuel was now becoming an issue and Robin grimly realized that they might not make it to the safe house and have to ditch into the rainforest below. Meanwhile the remaining Navy jets continued to chase them, ignoring warnings from the Brazilian military to stay out of Brazil. This was turning into a full blown international incident, and the US government would have some explaining to do. That of course would be small consolation to him if his team was shot down and killed.

The Navy jets occasionally fired a missile or two at them, which Starfire would intercept with star bolts she would conjure in agony. The enemy continued to close in and Robin's nav computer indicated that the safe house was only 80 km away. Once they got close enough they could ditch their ships into jungle and walk the rest of the way, under the cover of the rainforest canopy.

The jets fired three more missiles, possibly the last ones they had. Starfire dropped behind her teammates and raised her hands, summoning more star bolts … but none appeared.

The lead missile hit the princess. Its explosion was felt both by Robin and Cyborg. Robin saw the Tamaranian, flames dancing on her body, tumble and fall into the forest below.

"STARFIRE!"

Robin's visceral scream was cut short as the second missile hit his ship. The ship held together but he had next to no control as it too began to tumble into the jungle below. He heard another explosion, probably Cyborg's ship, but he couldn't see it. He continued to focus on what was now his crash landing. He didn't dare bail out, knowing that the Navy pilots would shoot at him if he parachuted to the ground. A controlled crash was his only hope of survival.

Slowly he got his module to stop tumbling but it continued to fall like a brick. Finally, his engines died as he ran out of fuel. All he could do now was hope and pray for the best. He crashed through the rainforest canopy and his ship tumbled violently when it finally made contact with the ground. After what felt like an eternity it stopped.

He popped the canopy off and crawled out of the wreckage. Every bone in his body hurt and he noticed that he had a deep gash in his right arm, which was bleeding. He ignored his wound and instead stared at the sky through a small gap in the jungle's vegetation. The remaining Navy jets were retreating. Thankfully they were not bombers plus they were probably running low on fuel themselves. Soon the sound of their afterburners fell silent and Robin could hear the natural sounds of the rainforest. He cupped his hands around his mouth, improvising a cone and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"STARFIRE!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Another cliff hanger! They're my specialty.

Wonder what Batman's bad news is? Well, you're going to have to wait until next chapter to find out what it is (beyond the obvious).


	12. An Unexpected Friend

"_I have bad news"_ The ghostly visage announced.

"Bad news?" Raven growled.

"What happened to them?" Beast Boy asked. "They're OK, right?"

"The US Navy chased them into the Brazilian jungle, where they were all shot down. They were admirable in their performance and almost escaped, destroying over 80% of the Navy's fighter jets that engaged them."

Batman paused.

"I tried to rescue them after they crashed, but I was intercepted by other fighters. There were too many, and I had to turn back. I'm sorry. I would have asked the Justice League for assistance in rescuing them, but they were unfortunately occupied elsewhere and to be honest, at this point in time they aren't too fond of your friends, who are perceived as being part of the Cutler regime."

"You said you didn't need our help." Raven hissed at the hologram. "Now our friends are lost in a jungle, possibly injured and in need of assistance."

"How far did they crash from the safe house?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm afraid that I don't know. My satellite wasn't in position at the time. The only information I have is data I intercepted from Navy transmissions. Based on what they said, they could be as far as 100 miles from the safe house. There was another transmission that said Starfire was flying on her own after her ship was disabled and that she created a giant energy ball to create an escape path …"

"She did a Nova!" Beast Boy gasped. "That leaves her weak, really weak."

Batman nodded.

"The final transmission said that she took a direct hit from a missile and fell into the jungle."

"Nooo!" Raven moaned.

"They need our help. We should go to the safe house." Beast Boy remarked.

"Gar's right, they will head to the safe house, plus we can use it as a search base."

Batman shook his head.

"I have more bad news."

"Now what?" Beast Boy grumbled.

"I intercepted another message. The safe house was discovered and destroyed two weeks ago. its beacon was destroyed as well, they'll never find what's left of it in the jungle and neither would you."

Raven crossed her arms and frowned.

"Great, that's just great. But I don't care; we're going there to find them."

"No Raven, they could be anywhere in a 100,000 square mile area. It could take you years to find them."

"So we're supposed to just sit on our butts and do nothing?" Beast Boy protested. "I can talk to animals, you know?"

"Yes, changeling, but even with their help you would probably wouldn't find them."

"Maybe, but I'm still willing to try."

"I have someone who can find them faster. He's on his way there now."

"Kid Flash?" Raven asked.

"Correct. However, even in his case it will take time as the jungle is dense and we don't want to destroy it in the process, so he'll have to move slower than usual. In a worst case scenario it will take him a few months to find them. Hopefully he will find them sooner."

Raven reluctantly nodded her head.

"If anyone can find them, it's Wally."

"Precisely … I don't wish to sound callous … but you have a mission to complete, and you need to prepare for it. You need to put them out of your minds and focus 100% on your mission. We don't want anything to happen to either of you because you're distracted."

Beast Boy frowned at the hologram. Only Batman could be so cold. He knew that he was correct and that they still had two submarines to sabotage. But how could he stay so cool? Wasn't Robin his former partner? Wasn't he worried about him?

"Don't worry about those subs, dude. When we're done with them, they'll be on the bottom of the bay."

"Very well, Titans. We'll find your friends, and that's a promise. Good luck and stay sharp. Batman out."

The hologram vanished and the two Titans stared at the Batwave for a moment, until Beast Boy broke the silence.

"This blows! I hate Cutler! If anything happens to them … "

The changeling's eyes began to glow red.

"… I'll kill him myself."

Raven wrapped her arms around the changeling, rubbing his back.

"Let's try to stay positive, Gar. Our friends are Titans after all. I'm sure they're OK and Kid Flash will find them faster than we can … but we do have to prepare for our mission, and it's going to be a dangerous one. Batman's right, we need to get our heads into the mission."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" He asked.

"Let's take a nap. After that we'll meditate, I'll teach you how."

"I don't want to nap, Rave. Right now, I just want to be with you."

"I want to be with you too. So let's nap together. We both need some sleep anyway."

The changeling smiled at his sweetheart.

"Really, you want to nap with me?"

"Yes, why shouldn't I?"

He smiled at her.

"Your place … or mine, baby?" He asked her in a mock seductive voice, wagging his eye brows.

Raven took his hand, leading him to her room.

"That was almost humorous, Gar."

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Rave."

"At least one of us is." She replied in her signature monotone. "And Gar, I expect you to behave like a gentleman, so don't you try to cop a feel."

He gulped. "You know I'd never do that."

They entered her room. They both kicked off their shoes. Raven removed her cape and draped it over a chair Beast Boy laid himself down first. Raven joined him, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her are around his waist.

"I know." She murmured. "You do know that I reserve the right to change my mind about that, at any time, right?"

She took his hand, removed his glove and placed his hand on her exposed hip. Her skin felt unbelievably smooth and soft. The changeling had to stifle a moan. How was he supposed to sleep after that? Raven closed her eyes and gently caressed his waist. He reciprocated, tenderly caressing her hip and upper thigh, feeling the sensuality of her perfect curves through his fingertips.

So this is what heaven feels like, he thought to himself. Sleep … it could wait.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Robin's voice echoed in the emerald jungle. Its air was hot, humid and oppressive and the concentration of vegetation was so thick and choking that it would take him forever to hack tough it with a machete.

The boy wonder popped open a compartment on the side of the battered remains of his ship. Cool logic returning to his mind, he treated the wound on his arm, cleaning it with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, gritting his teeth as he washed the wound clean, after which he applied a topical antibiotic and bandaged it. He knew that the last thing he needed was for an infection to appear. Once he was satisfied that the bandage would hold firm he swung the backpack, with was loaded with food, medicine, water and some basic tools, onto his back. It also contained a spare Titans communicator, which he handled longingly. He was sorely tempted to use it, to call out to Cyborg who hopefully had also retrieved his emergency backpack from his own ship. While the transmission would be encrypted and shielded from unfriendly ears, the Americans would pick up the signal and know that the Titans had survived. Robin shoved the communicator into a pocket in his backpack. He then drew a sharp machete. He remembered that Starfire fell to his left when she was shot down, which was due north from where he crashed. Cyborg also went down in that direction.

Robin began to swing his blade, hacking away at the foliage. It took him a whole minute to cut a mere 10 feet into the vegetation. While he advanced his heart sank, as he realized that Starfire could be lying just a few feet off the path and he would almost certainly miss her. And to make matters worse, he was leaving a path in his wake, a path that the enemy could follow if they found the ship's wreckage.

As he continued to move forward, grunting each time he swung his machete, the beads of sweat dripped down his face. He repeatedly shouted her name between swings of the blade. The only response he got back each time were the sounds of the birds in the forest, squawking in alarm as he slowly approached, after which they would fly away. He picked up the pace, hacking mindlessly as he continued to call out to her. After 30 minutes he found something unexpected: He hacked his way in to an existing path.

The path was wide and looked fairly new as the vegetation had yet to reclaim it. It was wide and he knelt to inspect the ground, where he found several sets of boot tracks. This meant but one thing:

There were others in the rainforest, probably soldiers.

He examined the footprints carefully and cursed when he couldn't identify their origin. Were they from Brazilian soldiers … or Americans?

Robin looked up at the rainforest canopy, as if looking for something.

"Star, where are you?" He whimpered in despair.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Five hours had passed and Robin continued hacking at the vegetation, pushing forward relentlessly. He was drenched in sweat and blisters had formed on his hands from wielding the machete. His muscles screamed in agony and he was running out of drinking water. His throat felt raw from shouting her name over and over. The sun would be setting in a few hours, which would make finding her even harder as it would be a moonless night. He swung the machete one more time and nearly dropped the blade as he felt a spasm shoot up his arm. He knew he had to stop and rest, if only for a few minutes.

Panting from fatigue, he stopped and ate another energy bar, which he washed down with a swig of water. He sucked the bottle dry and sighed, knowing that he only had a single 2 liter bottle left. At his current rate it would be gone in two more hours.

He coughed violently as he tried to clear his throat. Once again he raised his hands to his mouth and improvising a cone with them he shouted with all his might as his throat protested in agony.

"STARFIRE!" His voice boomed in the forest.

This time … there was a response.

"Rob? Is that you?" Cyborg's voice echoed in the forest.

"YES!" He shouted back.

"I found Star." The faint voice replied.

Robin had removed his mask earlier and his eyes bugged out. He began to slash the foliage with super human fury.

"IS SHE OK?"

"She's alive." Cyborg's faint voice replied.

It took Robin almost 30 minutes to reach them. Cyborg had hacked a small clearing and set up a tent. Robin dropped his backpack and machete, and nearly fell as he scrambled into the tent. The sight that greeted him nearly took his breath away.

Starfire was resting on a small portable cot. Her arm was in a splint. Half of her hair was missing and her skin was covered in blood. Cyborg was in the process of washing the dried alien orange blood and grime from her body, applying a liniment for her burns. A bag with saline solution hung from the top of the tent and the drip line was in her arm.

"Starfire." Robin whimpered.

The princess turned in the direction of his voice. She slowly opened her eyes and a faint smile appeared on her lips when she recognized him.

"Richard." She whispered. "You are safe, thank X'Hal."

Robin felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. He had failed, failed to protect his team, but above all, he failed to protect her.

"It's OK, Star, you just rest. Everything is gonna be OK." He choked back a sob.

"Do not worry, my beloved. My people … are most resilient." She whispered before fainting.

Robin stared at her injured body, and almost didn't notice Cyborg's hand on his shoulder.

"You got your med kit?" The Tin Man asked. "I'm almost out of medical supplies."

Robin nodded and dashed out of the tent, returning almost instantly, handing his backpack to Cyborg.

"Good man … we gotta find the safe house … she could really use some blood and I've got some stashed away in there … but you need to rest, you look like a mess. We'll head out in the morning. Here, drink some of this."

Cyborg handed Robin a bottle of Gatorade, which he gratefully gulped down. Cyborg's emergency backpack was much bigger that his, and was far better stocked.

"Thanks Cy … how did you find her?"

"After doing a Nova she emits some low level radiation, at least for a while. I found her with my sensors just before it was gone."

Robin nodded.

"Of course, good work, Cy. You saved her life."

"No problem man, I'd do anything for her …"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sharp sound of a twig snapping. Reaching for his utility belt, Robin drew a bird-a-rang and bolted out of the tent.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" He screamed in his now hoarse voice.

"Please, I do not mean any harm." A disembodied male voice with a heavy Brazilian accent replied.

Cyborg was now standing next to Robin, his sonic canon deployed and aimed at the source of the voice, which remained hidden in the tropical underbrush.

"Come out slowly with your hands in the air!" Cyborg barked as his sonic cannon made all sorts of threatening sounds as it charged itself.

As the two men watched the foliage at the edge if the clearing began to shake and a tall, thin man dressed in what looked like a monk's cassock emerged with his hands in the air.

"Please believe me, I mean you no harm." He announced while his hands remained high in the air.

"He's some kind of monk." Cyborg remarked.

"No, I am not a monk, for I do not live in a monastery. I am Father Eusebio Barreto."

Robin relaxed and dropped his arm, which was ready to launch a bird-a-rang, to his side. Cyborg deactivated his sonic cannon and his mechanical hand was reformed.

"What are you doing all the way out here, Father?" Robin inquired.

"I run a mission in a small village not far from here. I saw what the Americans did to you. You are the Teen Titans, no?"

"We're some of them." Robin replied. "Your village, does it have a medical clinic?"

The brown robed priest shook his head.

"We do not. It is a simple, aboriginal village. I do have some medical supplies that you are welcome to use. But we must hurry as night will soon come, and with it the predators, though I suppose mighty heroes such as yourselves do not consider a Jaguar to be a threat."

"We will come with you, Father Barreto, and we are grateful for your hospitality."

"You are most welcome. Before we leave, you should break camp and leave nothing behind. American commandos come through here often, much to the chagrin of my government which is unable to repel them. They will no doubt come looking for you."

"Whoa! In that case we shouldn't go to your village. We don't want to put you folks in harm's way." Cyborg remarked.

"It will not be a problem. We have a secret cavern where you can hide. The Americans will never find you there."

"Thank you again." Robin replied. "But we also have a secret hide out. It should be about 40 km from here."

The priest shook his head.

"I am afraid that the commandos found it already. About two weeks ago we heard a loud explosion from the east. Some of villagers went to investigate and they returned with supplies with your symbol on them that they recovered from the wreckage. We will bring them to the cave for you. Hopefully they will contain what you need to heal the Princess. But we must leave soon."

"Are there any commandos in the area now?"

"I am afraid so, but we can get you to the cave without being seen."

The priest whistled a trill that sounded like a bird call they had already heard in the jungle.

Several men, dressed in loin cloths, emerged from the foliage. They were armed only with primitive bows and arrows.

"The villagers will help up us get to the cave without being seen. They are quite skilled at moving without being visible. They are hunters after all."

"Thank you again, Father Barreto." Robin replied.

The Boy Wonder ducked into the tent where Starfire remained at rest. He took her hand and squeezed it. He was determined to keep her safe, no matter what. Hopefully this secret cave would provide them with a safe hiding place, at least until Starfire could recover.

And after that … the gloves would come off.

_**-( scene break )-**_

"Gar, wake up."

The changeling blinked slowly as he woke up. He sat up in the bed, shaking the cobwebs out of his head. Raven cracked the blinds open in the room and opened the window, allowing a fresh morning breeze to waft into the room, chasing out the stake air. He looked at Raven and could tell that she had already showered and prepared for the day.

"Whoa, how long did we sleep?"

"I slept 10 hours, but you were going on 12, so I woke you up. Today's the mission, go ahead and get ready and I'll make us some pancakes."

"Pancakes? Are you sure …"

"Knock it off, Gar; I don't want to hear about that. I know those pancakes I made years ago were awful. I already told you that Cyborg taught me how to cook some things since then, and pancakes were on the list."

"Any word from Bats?" He asked.

"No, nothing, which bothers me, but there's nothing we can do about it. I think we should still meditate before the mission, though."

"Yeah, sure." He replied as he wandered off to the bathroom.

Breakfast was pleasant and even though Raven's pancakes weren't vegan, Beast Boy did not complain and ate them heartily. At least this time they tasted good. Once the dishes were cleared away and the kitchen was cleaned up they headed into the living room. They were both barefoot and dressed in civvies, attired in fleece pant and T-shirts. Raven sat down on the floor and beckoned him to join her.

"First things first, you need to adopt a proper Lotus position." She announced as she helped him get into the correct position. She then sat down opposite from him.

"Now close your eyes and push any stray thoughts out of your mind."

"You mean, like think of nothing?"

"Not quite, but close. Today you're going to find your center. Once you accomplish that you will focus on it and nothing else. You will find it to be very relaxing when you're done."

"How will I know when I'm done?"

"Don't worry, I'll let you know. But first you need to find your center. So close your eyes."

The changeling nodded and closed his eyes.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Uh … lots of things."

"OK, you need to push those out one by one. Literally form an image in your mind where you push the stray thoughts out a door, so that once they're gone … they're gone."

He nodded.

"OK … pushing."

Raven reached out to him with her empathic senses. As was normal for a newbie, he was having some trouble. For every thought he would arrest, another one took its place. She quietly guided and encouraged him. After about 10 minutes he began to make some progress and his thought patterns become more even and coherent as he slowly evicted the stray thoughts from his mind. Soon they were gone.

"You're doing well; you should be at your center. There you will find the true essence of your very self, uncluttered by the distractions of the world."

At this point Raven's voice sounded like a distant breeze, he could hear it, but it did not distract. As he stripped away the last stray thoughts he found an amorphous green blob before him. As the thoughts were evicted the blob began to take form. It grew arms and legs and its body was covered in fur. Finally, its shape coalesced and he was able to distinguish it. He was so calm that it did not shock or surprise him.

Beast Boy found himself staring straight into the Beast's primal eyes. To his credit the changeling didn't flinch.

"So, you're in my center?" He calmly addressed the Beast.

"That is correct." The creature answered. "This should come as no surprise; as you can always feel my presence."

"Raven says that knowing when to let you come out is what makes me a man."

"Our Mistress is wise." The Beast replied. "And you know when to let me out, right? You know that I have but one purpose?"

"To protect her."

"Yes, master. She is our lady and we will protect her against any threat, and that includes the Tyrant."

"We have a mission tonight …"

"Yes, and I will be there. Say the word, and I will come forth to defend her."

"Yes, I know."

"Good, now return to her. She is precious to us, beyond anything else in the world. Soon, she will be ours in heart, body and soul."

The changeling snapped out of his trance and nearly fell over, catching himself before crashing into thef floor. The first thing he saw was her face, which was adorned with a small smile.

"You did great Gar. You actually found your center. What did you find there?"

Beast Boy smiled.

"I found an old friend." He replied.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Let me be the first to say that I know absolutely nothing about meditation techniques. What I described here was pure and unadulterated BS that I made up.

Will Wally be able to find Robin, Starfire and Cyborg if they're hidden in a cave? How long will it take Starfire to heal? What will they do after she recovers?


	13. Pain and Joy

A steady drip echoed through the massive cave, which shimmered as it stalactites and stalagmites reflected the natural sunlight that entered through a small opening at the top of the underground room. The natural dome was over 100 feet tall at its peak and was stunning beyond belief, looking like a giant geode.

Robin was no stranger to caves, having spent years in the Batcave under the tutelage of the Dark Knight and his majordomo, Alfred Pennyworth. Robin grew to hate caves, with their darkness, the sinister shadows and irritating dampness. He much preferred the brightness and airiness of the Tower, which sadly, he had reduced just two days earlier, with the push of a button, to mere rubble. So much had died that day: his faith in the government, in the American people, in truth and justice.

Jump City had been for him the proverbial light in the hill, a beacon of hope, of what humanity could achieve when guided not by its most base instincts but rather by its spirit. But that too was now dead. Sure, the city was still bright and clean, and was still blessed with what felt like a year round spring climate, but now that felt like a façade, a Potemkin village. So much had died lately …

Starfire rustled on her makeshift hospital bed, which Cyborg had improvised from a portable cot. The villagers had fortunately been able to salvage all sorts of medical supplies from the safe house's wreckage and they had been carried into the domed room, a 2 mile trek from the cave's perfectly hidden entrance. And providence had smiled on them, as all the stockpiled blood packets in the safe house had survived the fiery bombardment. These proved to be a life saver for the princess, whose orange blood was incompatible with all human blood types.

Robin traced her cheekbone with his ungloved hand. Her alien skin had a texture that most humans would have found unusual, and which undoubtedly was one of the reasons for her superhuman strength. Her flesh contained elements beyond the carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen found in most DNA based life forms. There were traces of heavy metals present in her cellular structure, at levels that would have proven lethal to humans, but which allowed her cells, her very body, to act as a battery that could be charged by the sun's yellow rays and to conduct that energy throughout her body, allowing her to fly and form starbolts.

He continued to caress her, marveling at how such a powerful woman could feel so delicate to his touch. She was a paradox, a beautiful contradiction. He also cringed, remembering how she fell into the jungle, her body literally on fire. None of the other Titans would have survived that ordeal. And yet, here she was, healing at a speed that amazed him. Her boast that her people were resilient was far from an idle one. She wasn't as resilient as a Kryptonian; Kara Zor El would have been at worst stunned by that missile. But she was brave; she had the heart of a lion. And she was his.

The princess opened her eyes and blinked a few times. At first she looked confused, unable to recognize her surroundings. Then her eyes saw him. He wasn't wearing his mask and she zeroed in on his piercing blues eyes.

"Greetings." She whispered.

"Hi." He smiled back at her. "You gave us quite a scare."

"I apologize; I should have been able to dodge that missile."

"You were exhausted. You've been out for two straight days … how do you feel?"

"Not well. I feel very weak."

He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. She immediately moaned her approval. As soon as they separated he spoke.

"If anyone should apologize, it's me."

"I do not understand. Robin … where are we?"

"We crashed into the Amazon rainforest. A missionary priest found us and hid us in this cave."

"Missionary? Hidden?" She murmured, the exhaustion was already catching up with her.

"A good man. We're hidden because Cutler's men are looking for us in the forest. We'll stay here until you recover. If we find any soldiers later, we'll deal with them."

"The safe house?"

"It was destroyed. We'll be safe in this cave. Now rest, so you can recover, OK?"

"Uh huh" She murmured before drifting off into a deep Tamaranian healing slumber.

_**-( scene break )-**_

It was a moonless night and no one was present to see a black hemisphere emerge from the ground. The signature dull hum sounded for a moment but it vanished along with the dark dome, which revealed two figures, dressed in ordinary jeans and long sleeved shirts. They were standing on a hilltop that stood over their old home town, with bay spread below them like a large bowl. The changeling gazed towards the bay bridge, which in addition to being brightly lit was teeming with commuters rushing home from work, heading north out of the city into the many suburban communities in the North Bay.

The Tower was conspicuous in its absence. With his sensitive eyes he could still discern the Tower's wreckage on the island in the dark. The cleanup effort had already begun, Cutler was obviously eager to erase any vestige of the Titans' former presence in the city. There were already plans to build a museum that would showcase a highly revised history of the US on the island, which had already been renamed "Freedom Island".

"Gar, give me hand finding the supplies."

The changeling morphed into a ferret and began to rummage through the bushes. After a minute his human head popped out from a large shrub.

"Found it."

Slade left them a few additional supplies, including some urban cammies, ski masks to cover their faces, some food rations and water. Raven methodically went through the box, sorting the items into piles. She found a pair of laser pistols, pausing as she decided what to do with them. She tossed them into the "use" pile. Once she was done she stood up and joined him as he stared out at the bay.

"I never thought we'd ever come home." He sighed.

"It isn't home anymore." She droned in her monotone.

"Yeah, with the Tower gone … it's one thing to see it on TV … but to really see that it's gone with my own eyes …"

"I know." She replied as she strapped on a watch to her wrist and looked at it. "But we need to get ready; the Slade-bots will attack in … 17 minutes."

They changed into their cammies and slipped the ski masks over their heads. Neither of them liked the idea of wearing them as they both obstructed their sense of hearing and sight, but Slade had been adamant that they wear them to maintain their anonymity. If Cutler were to find out that they were behind this attack and others to follow, he might resort to extreme measures to track them down. _"If you wish to sleep peacefully at night in your safe house, you will remain anonymous."_ Slade had told them.

Raven handed him one of Slade's laser pistols. He winced as took it from her.

"I feel like we're terrorists." He moaned unhappily.

"We're freedom fighters." She replied. 'And if we're lucky, no one will get hurt."

"And if we aren't?"

"I don't want to think about it. If anyone dies, they'll be military; they know the risks that come with the job, just like we do."

"I still don't like it."

"Neither do I." She replied. "But you understand that …"

"Yes, if we don't destroy these subs, they could be used against civilians."

She nodded as she peered through a pair of binoculars.

"In the case of these two, they're attack subs. They'll eventually be used to sink ships and disrupt world trade."

She lowered her binoculars.

"There's gonna be 46 simultaneous attacks tonight. While the Slade-bots create a distraction we'll teleport aboard the subs, place the charges according to the diagrams, and get out ... fast"

He acknowledged her. They had spent the afternoon memorizing where the charges would be placed in the subs. He was now confident they could do it with their eyes closed. The subs would be guarded, but otherwise empty as they were still being fitted with some equipment and remained uncrewed. Compared to the other teams their mission was easy. No crew, no nuclear weapons on board. Just get in and out as fast as they could and blow them up.

"It's time." She announced.

She raised her arms and the black hemisphere appeared, sinking into the ground with them. Within a split second they remerged, just yards from the submarines. They were safely hidden behind some sort of cargo vehicle, which had been arranged to be left behind in its strategic location. How Slade managed to pull that off, they had no idea, but its placement was perfect.

Raven glanced at her watch.

"Get ready."

A loud explosion boomed across the docks and the sounds of machine gun and laser fire echoed with staccato like repetition. Each sub had two armed sentries guarding the gangway and within moments a handful of Slade-bots appeared and began to shoot at them. The sentries radioed for help and three more men emerged from each sub, firing their weapons at the droids.

The subs interiors were now completely unoccupied.

"Let's go." The changeling grunted.

The obsidian sphere made its appearance. Their next stop: inside the first submarine.

_**-( scene break )-**_

"Hello?" The voice echoed in the cavern.

"We're over here, Father."

Robin turned towards the entrance to the domed room, which became brighter as an amber glow lit it up. Fr. Eusebio emerged from the entrance, carrying a flaming torch, much like those seen in movies and what appeared to be a clay pot in his other hand.

"I brought you some lunch. It is a chicken stew I made myself."

"Thank you, we're famished … we aren't imposing on you, are we?"

The thin man smiled.

"There is no shortage of food in the village. Of course, you might not like what the villagers usually eat."

Robin arced an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

"It depends. It could be roasted iguana or tarantula…"

"Tarantula?" Robin gasped.

"I am told it tastes like crab meat. But I have to confess to being squeamish, and have never tried it … they use everything, nothing goes to waste. They use the fangs as toothpicks."

The sound of a woman chuckling interrupted their conversation.

"Kitten would be most disturbed with such a meal."

The priest smiled.

"Your highness, you are awake!"

Starfire stood up uneasily from the cot. Some of her burns were still visible, and her hair was still a mess.

"Star! Get back into …"

"I am fine, Robin, and it is only right that I stand to thank our kind and gracious host."

"You have nothing to thank me for. The Teen Titans have always been held in high esteem in Brazil, though I am afraid to ask, two of you are missing. Were Miss Raven and the Beast Boy captured by the Americans?"

Robin shook his head.

"We went our separate ways. We lost contact with each other."

"I am so sorry to hear this unfortunate news."

"Don't be, we'll be reunited as soon as Starfire recovers."

The priest chuckled.

"And her recovery is most remarkable. The lady Titans are very popular in Brazil, both the Princess and Miss Raven, or Ravena as we call her in Portuguese."

Robin and Starfire smiled their appreciation.

"Where is friend Cyborg?"

"He's in the village. You know him, he always wants to fix things and make them better. By the time he's done the village is going to look like an American suburb."

The priest laughed boisterously.

"Perhaps not, but his help is most welcome. And speaking of welcomes, since the princess is feeling better we would like to host a celebration feast tonight in the village …"

Starfire beamed.

"I will be most happy to attend."

The priest clapped his hands.

"Wonderful! It will be held after sunset. There has been no sign of soldiers in the area, so we should not be interrupted."

"Will there be tarantula on the menu?" Robin asked warily.

"No, no roasted tarantula." He replied with a smile.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Beast Boy collapsed into the couch. The look in his eyes was vacant, hollow. He leaned forward, cradling his head in his hands as he choked back a sob. Over the years Robin tried to prepare them to be prepared for such a day, a day when the unthinkable would happen. But the truth was that no amount of training could prepare someone like the changeling for such a dark day, and a dark day it was.

Someone died because of an act he committed, and action he performed of his own free will.

Raven sat down next to him as he could no longer contain himself and began to cry. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight as she too fought back the urge to weep.

"I'm a criminal, Rave, I'm no better than Slade."

"That's not true, and you know it."

He raised his face to hers, his bloodshot eyes making contact with her indigo colored orbs.

"What would you tell those men's families, Rave? That it was an accident? That they weren't supposed to retreat back into the subs just before the detonators went off? That it was their fault that they died?"

"We're at war." She answered in a feeble voice, one that betrayed that she herself did not believe her own words.

"A war? Did anyone sign a formal declaration of war? We're not warriors, Rave, we're terrorists, and we're thugs!"

"NO!" She shouted at him. "Cutler is the thug, and we have to stop him. We can't declare war because we aren't a country. This is the only way we can fight back."

He shook his head in disagreement.

"I'm sorry, Rave …"

The TV was running in the background, and the news was reporting the attacks around the US, at least the official American Broadcast Network account of what had happened. The ABN acknowledged the attacks in several cities, including Jump City.

The CBC reporter then announced a live feed from the White House.

The screen changed and it now showed a visibly angry President Cutler sitting behind his desk. With a frown on his face he began to speak.

"Thirty minutes ago several US Naval bases were on the receiving end of an unprovoked attack headed orchestrated by the criminal known as Slade Wilson. Over 90 Navy vessels were destroyed in a synchronized attack on our fair and peace loving nation."

"We Americans are not aggressive by nature, but when attacked we always strike back and hard, as this is the only language cowardly terrorists understand."

"Our intelligence organizations have determined that these terrorists have their bases in both Canada and Mexico, and while these nation's governments were not directly involved in the cowardly attack on American sovereignty there are nonetheless complicit by harboring these terrorists, even if by omission."

Cutler's face hardened before he continued speaking.

"It is for this very reason that I have authorized airstrikes on all major cities in both of our neighbors. The retaliation today will be small and merciful, and they are in progress as I speak…"

A distant explosion was heard outside the apartment, followed by the sound of fighter jet afterburners.

"Next time, our retaliation will not be as merciful. I suggest that the governments of Canada and Mexico deal with their terrorist infestation before they attack US interests again."

"I am sorry to bring such news to the people of Canada and Mexico, but I am afraid that I have no other choice. It is now in your hands, I suggest you choose wisely."

The transmission ended abruptly. Raven and Beast Boy ran to the window as the news switched back to the CBC studio in Toronto, where reports were coming in of air strikes in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. There were also reports of airstrikes in Mexico. The sounds of sirens began to pierce the air. Thankfully the jets were gone. The news in the background also reported that Canadian defense forces, while successful in shooting down a handful of US fighter jets, had been decimated in the surprise attack.

The Chromatically Challenged Couple stared numbly at the Vancouver skyline, as the targeted buildings were on fire and heavily billowing smoke. The sirens became louder and more frequent. And this was supposed to be a "light" attack. What would happen if Cutler hit with everything he had?

"Rave, we have to get out there and help."

Raven stared stoically out the window.

"Of course." She replied before turning and making eye contact with him.

"So, do you still think you're the thug?"

_**-( scene break )-**_

This story is still exceeding my expectations. Traffic in the Teen Titans section has been rather low lately, and I was beginning to wonder if the "golden age" of Teen Titan fan fiction was over. The interest in this story, and a few others, has put that worry to bed.

And speaking of other stories, I have another shout out. It's for Titans Together, by EmeraldsAndDaggers. Check it out and be sure to leave a review! (and don't forget to review this story too )


	14. The Hunt

"What do you mean you can't find them, Admiral? You reported that they were shot down two days ago, and that the Tamaranian took a direct hit. What am I supposed to tell the Ambassador?"

"She was a threat, Mr. President. She killed over two dozen of my best pilots."

"I don't give a damn! My orders were to capture them, to take them alive."

"Yes sir, but that's easier said than done. They are the Teen …"

"I don't want to hear excuses."

"No, sir."

Cutler rose from his desk, staring coldly at the Admiral. His eyes were as cold as ice and his face as hard as flint, a complete contrast from his public persona, the affable, charismatic leader the people had elected. Other than the two men there were three bodyguards in the room. They were not Secret Service agents, but instead they wore Patriot Party Lightning Trooper uniforms and brandish advanced laser weapons. That these guards were not agents of the government, but were instead members of the party was not lost on the Admiral. The President did not trust the military to protect him and every staff member in the White House was a party member. It was painfully obvious to whom they pledged their allegiance, and it certainly wasn't to "the flag and the Republic for which it stands."

"So, Admiral Jones, tell me how you intend to capture the Teen Titans."

"Sir, only Cyborg, Robin and the Princess are in Brazil. No one knows the whereabouts of the changeling and the witch."

"Then I suggest you find out where they are. If not, I will turn the job over to someone who isn't afraid of finding them."

Fleet Admiral Jones stared stoically at the madman who paraded around the Oval Office. Jones graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis and had worked hard to get where he was today. He wasn't an idealist and understood well that the US Military existed to serve the interests of the country, even if that meant protecting the economic interests of the country's elite. But Cutler had flipped his lid. He ordered the retaliatory air strike without consulting with the Joint Chiefs. He turned over the command of that mission to a handful of junior level generals who had pledged their loyalty to the party, something Jones had yet to do … and never would.

"We have already deployed 672 Marines into the area where they crashed. For some reason the wreckage is not where they crashed, there is no sign of it and we believe that it was moved. 4000 more Marines are being airlifted there as we speak and the first platoons are already parachuting into the forest, which we will burn down if necessary. The Brazilians will protest …"

"The Brazilian government doesn't concern me, but the Princess does. The Tamaranians will be arriving in two weeks to sign the treaty. If that treaty isn't signed, say because perhaps the Princess was killed, then I will be very unhappy. Have I made myself clear, Admiral?"

"Yes, sir. This will complicate matters, but we will capture them."

Cutler returned to his seat, glaring at Jones the entire time.

"I hope so, Admiral, for your sake. If you fail, and if something happens to the Princess, I will hand you and your family over to Galfore, with the understanding that you are personally responsible for her death."

Jones gulped. Cutler grinned, savoring the moment, enjoying watching a career Naval officer cringe under his threatening glare. Deep inside Jones was a cauldron of fury. Cutler had now gone too far. He would have to get his family out of the country to safety, which would be no small feat as Patriot Party secret police were no doubt watching them … but he had already prepared for the worst … his wife and children were leaving on a trip to Disneyworld. He wouldn't be joining them, but the plan was in place. They would disappear in a side trip to Tampa, from where they would be smuggled out of the country by a ship Captain he could trust.

"Yes, sir."

"That will be all Jones, you're dismissed."

_**-( scene break )-**_

It had been a grueling task; the air strikes had not been as light as Cutler claimed in his announcements and the city of Vancouver was caught in a state of panic and mayhem. Hospitals had been one of the main targets of the attack, a despicable act. Raven and Beast Boy did what they could to help, rescuing people trapped in the upper floors of burning buildings, Raven used her healing powers to treat the injured, but the sheer volume was overwhelming. People were picking grocery store shelves clean and fights began to break out as people fought over a loaf of bread or a jug of milk. There was looting as well. As the evening settled in the citizenry calmed down and the two Titans, who were beyond exhaustion, returned to their own apartment. They had appeared in their Titans costumes, knowing well that once they used their powers their cover would be blown.

Beast Boy collapsed onto the coach, groaning in pain and exhaustion. Unlike his girlfriend his powers were 100% physically based. He had morphed countless times, ferrying people to safety so many times that every joint in his body hurt. Raven opened the fridge and popped open a can of root beer and gave it to him. He thanked her before chugging down the can in a single swig. As he lowered the empty can she traded it for another one.

"You need the sugar, we both do." She remarked in her monotone as she opened a can of orange soda for herself, which she too, most unlike her usual self, chugged down.

"Go ahead and shower, I'll make something to eat." She volunteered.

They were both drenched in sweat. Their uniforms were torn and filthy and they both smelled of smoke.

"No, you go first." He replied

"It's alright, I know you're sore … I can feel it … I'm an empath, remember?"

"Well, if you insist." He replied as he rose from the couch. "I'll be quick."

The changeling disappeared into the bathroom and soon the sound of the shower running was heard. Raven opened the freezer and rummaged through it until she zeroed in on some frozen pizzas. She tossed the frozen pies onto the countertop, and turned on the oven. While she waited for it to heat up she turned on the TV to catch the news. There was an emergency session of the General Assembly in the United Nations building in New York. The reporter was reiterating that the General Assembly had passed a censure against the actions of the United States, and it passed with only 4 dissenting votes. Raven watched as ambassadors from nation after nation took the podium to denounce the attack. The American delegation was absent. Soon the oven beeped, indicating that it was at the desired temperature. Raven unwrapped the pizzas, one vegetarian, on meat lovers, and placed them on the rack. As she was closing the oven door she heard the reporter announce that the UN ambassador from Themyscira was about to speak.

The sorceress turned around in time to see Diana, who was known outside of the Amazon island nation of Themyscira as Wonder Woman, in full battle armor as she approached the podium.

"I'm going to keep this short. President Cutler, what you did today was not an act of self defense; it was an act of intimidation. I'm putting you on notice that if you try anything like that against Themyscira that we will strike back. And that's not a threat Mr. Cutler … that's a promise."

"It's about time someone from the Justice League spoke up!"

Raven had been so focused on Wonder Woman's speech that she didn't notice Beast Boy enter the room. What she did notice was that he was only wearing a towel.

"It is about time." She replied as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. She quickly turned away so he wouldn't see it. "Unless you're planning on eating dinner wearing nothing but a bath towel, I'd suggest you get dressed."

"What's the matter, Rave? Afraid you might see something you like?"

Raven marched straight into the bathroom, tossing her singed cape aside.

"Suit yourself, I'm gonna shower now. Keep an eye on the pizzas, don't let them burn." She replied as she closed the door.

"Ooh, sexy lady in the shower!" He shouted in a clearly humorous sing song voice.

"Pizza, Gar. And if you try to sneak a peek …"

"Just kidding!" He laughed. "Don't worry, the pizza will be perfect."

Raven scrunched her nose when she saw his green hair all over the shower. She turned the water on and after washing it down the drain she poured a large dollop of shampoo onto her palm. The hot water felt both cleansing and soothing as it washed away the grime and soot off her body. As she lathered her hair she contemplated on her sharing a bath with the green changeling. It's what married couples do she thought, and she recalled how Robin would sometimes called them an "old married couple" when they bickered in years past.

It wasn't lost on Raven that they really worked well as a team. They almost seemed to be able to read each other's thoughts at times that day as they worked together to save countless lives. They had only been a couple, a very chaste couple, for a few days, and already she was wondering if they would be more than that. She knew what her demon half wanted. Terra's taunt wasn't unfounded; Raven did desire him, immensely. It was only her sense of propriety that kept her in check, along with mass doses of meditation. She also admitted to herself, grudgingly, that if he were to sneak a peek at her bathing, that maybe, she might not mind it all that much …

"Pizza's ready! Hurry up or it'll get cold!"

Oh well, so much for that fantasy.

Raven emerged from that bathroom wearing a Turkish bathrobe.

"I'll be ready in a minute." She shouted as she scurried into her room.

As she turned to close the door she caught him staring at her. He immediately looked away and blushed slightly, clearly having had his hand caught in the cookie jar. After closing the door a small smile appeared on her lips.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Robin set the bowl of stew down in front of the Princess, who was sitting at a makeshift table in the cave. She stared at it and began to drool, if ever so subtly, which Robin noticed.

"You look hungry, Star. You go ahead and have it."

She looked up at him.

"Are you not hungry?" She asked. "The serving is large, we can share."

"Me? Nah, I'm fine." He replied as his stomach emitted a loud growl. "Don't you worry about me, the villagers rescued a crate of protein bars from the safe house. I'll just have some of those for lunch."

The aroma of the stew, which was more of a chicken soup with rice, reached her nostrils. She inhaled and moaned at the heavenly smell.

"You are certain?" She asked.

He guffawed.

"It's all yours! Now eat it before it gets cold."

Starfire began to devour the contents of the clay pot, which under normal circumstances would have been enough to feed the four non-vegetarian Titans. Robin watched her eat in both dismay and wonder, as she consumed the meal like a wild beast. He had seen her devour meals before, both on Earth and on Tamaran, but he never got used to the sight of his svelte fiancée eating like a bear. In less than a minute the stew was gone and Starfire licked the bowl with her incredibly long alien tongue. After she finished she burped loudly, after which she smiled at her still amazed betrothed.

"That was most delicious! It would have been even better with some mustard."

Robin smiled.

"I'll bet it would."

He sat down at the table with her.

"Star, I was talking with Cyborg. While you were unconscious he did some tests on you. Anyway, there's good news and there's bad news."

She gave him a worried look.

"The good news is that your internal injuries were very minor and you should recover quickly from them."

"And the bad news is?"

"Your skin … it was burned very badly …"

"But I am recovering quickly …"

"From the burns … yes … but there is a side effect the Cyborg estimates will take about two months for you to recover."

"I do not understand … what are these side effects?"

Robin got up and shuffled around.

"Your powers. While your skin is looking much better, it can absorb the sun's energy. And without that …"

"I do not have my strength, cannot fly and cannot create my star bolts or my eye beams."

"Correct." He replied morosely. "Which means that we will have to stay hidden here until you recover. The natives have already seen Marines in the forest. They're far away from here, but if we were to leave now we would run into them for sure. Cyborg only has a solar panel to recharge his batteries, which is adequate as long as he doesn't use his sonic cannon."

She nodded.

"I understand, we will do the 'laying of the low' until I recover my powers."

Robin returned to his chair, where he fidgeted for a moment. Starfire had learned to read his body language over the years, and she immediately recognized the clear signs that he had something else to say. He took her hand and made eye contact.

"I want to talk … about our engagement." He announced abruptly in a nervous tone.

Upon hearing those words she became crestfallen.

"Yes, I understand, the political pressure is no longer upon us, the betrothal … it is … cancelled."

"Cancelled? You mean you don't want to marry me?"

"Of course I do, my beloved. But I understand your belief that now is not the time."

Robin rubbed the back of his neck.

"Actually … I was thinking … just the opposite."

Robin smiled, as Starfire brightened like a real star.

"Oh Richard! You are serious? But how? Who would conduct the ceremony?"

Robin smiled.

"Father Barreto could."

Starfire looked momentarily confused. Then, her expression changed, and she smiled.

"Of course, he is a priest of one your Earthly deities, correct?"

"You could put it that way."

"But what about our friends? They would miss the wedding."

Robin dropped his head.

"I know. The thing is we don't know where they are or how to contact them."

"Yes, of course." She replied sadly.

"But once we do, we could have second wedding." He consoled her. "You know, a renewal of vows. The thing is, once we get out of here and find them, something tells me that we'll be too busy for a wedding, at least until Cutler is put into his place."

"I understand." She replied. "When shall we be wed?"

"Is tonight too soon for you? We could do have the ceremony during the festival tonight."

The Princess' only response was to draw him in and kiss him in a most unchaste way. Robin didn't protest and their tongues were soon dancing with each other.

With no warning Cyborg entered the cavern, carrying a piece of wreckage he wanted to show to Robin. He stopped amd grinned as he enjoyed the voyeuristic moment. That is, until Starfire spoke.

"And tonight, my betrothed, we shall mate and consummate our love."

Without saying a word Cyborg turned around and exited the domed room. Once he was safely out of earshot he mumbled to himself.

"I didn't need to hear that."

_**-( scene break )-**_

"Kommand'r, can I trust you with this important task? Your sister has vanished. You must find her so we can seal the treaty with the Americans."

Blackfire grinned as she turned to face the Grand Ruler of Tamaran.

"Of course you can. And I will be restored to my rank as Princess of Tamaran, and my exile will be revoked, correct?"

"If you are successful."

"Consider it done, Galfore."

_**-( scene break )-**_

I hope you like this chapter as much as the previous ones. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. You guys and gals are the best.

And speaking of Blackfire, go to youtube and search for cdMk68ErfJE. It's the latest Chibi short.


	15. Mittens

Raven quickly dressed, slipping on a fresh leotard and swinging a cape around her shoulders and emerged from her bedroom. The changeling was seated at the table, which he had already set. Soft drinks were already poured and the pizzas were on the table. He had a troubled look on his face, and Raven knew why. She was also disturbed by the submarine deaths, but those feelings were not exteriorized, at least not onto her face. The demoness had years of experience hiding how she felt, even denying the times she was genuinely upset, like when Robin and Cyborg had their fight and the Tin Man quit the team, had it not been for those cracked monitors Starfire would never have known that she was putting on act when she pretended to not care. She quietly joined her beau at the table.

"Thanks for waiting." She muttered in her monotone.

"No prob." He mumbled back.

They ate their pizza quietly, neither saying a word. She could feel the waves of traumatized emotion ooze from his mind. She didn't have to ask him, she knew what it was, and there was nothing she could do about it. They continued to eat and once they finished she collected the paper plates and other rubbish, clearing the table. As she dumped the refuse into the trash can, she broke the silence.

"We're going to have leave Vancouver."

"I know." He replied morosely. "Where are we gonna go?"

"I don't know, but we need to figure it out soon. I'm certain that we appeared on the news, helping the victims. Cutler knows were here … we don't want another airstrike … and our departure has to be highly visible so he knows that we left."

The changeling sighed unhappily, dropping his head. Raven continued speaking.

"We need to call Slade."

He frowned.

"Not him." He moaned.

"I'm afraid we have to, Gar. This isn't over, not yet."

He raised his head and made eye contact with her. She could see the pain he was feeling. And she understood. While she was troubled by the sailors' deaths Raven was able to reconcile with the unfortunate incident. Maybe it was her demonic half that made it easier, or perhaps it was her logical mind. Or maybe it was years of suppressing her emotions, it was hard to tell, even for Raven.

"It's over for me, Rave." He replied, almost inaudibly.

"But Gar, we have to …"

"Kill more people? I don't do that Rave! This happened because we teamed up with Slade!"

"Gar, we can't allow an unfortunate accident to stop us. And this has nothing to do with Slade."

"Don't you care what happened back there? Those people died because of what we did!"

"Of course I care, Garfield."

"Then why are you gonna do it again."

"Are you saying that I'm a murderer?" She hissed.

"You tell me if we aren't murderers. Those sailors didn't stand a chance …"

"Gar, it was the Slade-bots that chased them back into the subs. It wasn't our fault."

"But it was our bombs that killed them."

Raven howled in exasperation.

"They knew the risks, Gar; they were military, soldiers …"

Raven's heart froze when she saw the look on his face, a combination of disbelief, dismay and outright anger.

"I can't believe you said that. I thought I knew you, but now I know I was wrong ."

He ran to the apartment's door.

"Where are you going?"

"Away." He replied abruptly as he slammed the door shut behind him.

Raven ran to the door and followed him into the building's hallway. She almost ran into their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Alma Beasley.

"Mrs. Beasley! Which way did he go?"

"W-who are you?" The old woman stammered, wide eyed.

Raven was wearing her leotard and cape, and without her holoring she stood before the woman in her gray and violet glory.

"It's me, Rachael Roth."

"You don't look like her."

"Because I was disguised. This is what I really look like."

"Disguised?" The woman replied in confusion. "Why would you be disguised?

"It's complicated … because I'm a superhero, my name is Raven … did you see a green man?"

The woman looked even more confused than before.

"Was that your husband? He didn't even say hello to me. And did he look angry, did you two have a lovers' quarrel?"

Raven heaved an exasperated groan.

"He's my teammate and his name is Beast Boy."

Suddenly the old woman looked enlightened.

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

Raven summoned every ounce of her patience.

"Did. You. See. Him, Mrs. Beasley?"

The old woman laughed.

"Of course I did. He ran towards that window … and I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own two eyes … he turned into a bird and flew out the window … I have to tell you dear, when I saw that … well ... I thought that maybe I should stop drinking peach schnapps after dinner …"

"Thank you, Mrs. Beasley." Raven interrupted the woman.

Raven ran to the window and shouted.

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"

The small window was enveloped in her dark energy and exploded, leaving a gaping hole in the wall, which was large enough for the demoness to fit through. Raven leaped through the hole and flew away, while the old woman watched in disbelief. Finally she collected herself and headed back to her apartment.

"And I thought they were such a nice young couple." She tsk tsk'd as he entered her apartment. "Young people these days, the things they do … super heroes … what's next?"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Beast Boy had morphed into a peregrine falcon and flew away as fast as he could. He could feel his heart breaking. It had happened again, a girl he though he knew, a girl he loved, turned out to be nothing more than a stranger. How could he have loved her? She felt no remorse over what had happened. What the hell was wrong with her?

"_What the hell is wrong with me?"_ He moaned in his mind. _"Why do I always fall for horrible girls?"_

Beast Boy was now miles from the apartment and found himself back in the district that had incurred the most damage in the attack. The aftermath was still there and emergency crews were still busy putting out small fires and clearing debris. He altered his course and landed next to a fire battalion chief, morphing back into his default human form. The woman marveled upon seeing the changeling morph.

"Anything I can do to help?" He offered.

She smiled.

"We have things under control, but thanks." She replied, gesturing over shoulder. "But I think there are some people who want to thank you."

The changeling looked in the direction she gestured and saw that a small crowd had already formed. Their smiling faces and friendly hand waves drew him towards them.

"Beast Boy … we love you!" A female voice called out. The crowd cheered their agreement.

The changeling smiled bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Just doing my job … the job I love to do." He replied through a boyish grin.

A tall, shapely blond girl dashed from the crowd, as an older female voice called out "Amanda! Stay away from him!"

The girl ignored her and ran up to the changeling, wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you … thank you … thank you!" She gushed.

"You're welcome … did I save you?"

"No, you saved Mittens!"

"Mittens?" He paused. "Oh yeah, the calico cat! Was she your cat?"

The girl beamed happily, and planted a kiss square on his lips.

"And people say it doesn't pay to be a super hero." He snickered.

Amanda gave him a second kiss, this one much deeper and longer. The changeling did not seem to mind it at all. The crowd cheered, while her mother chastised her for being so bold. The reverie was suddenly interrupted.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BOYFRIEND!" A guttural, other worldly voice roared.

Young Amanda, who looked no older than 16 years, turned in the direction of the sound. Her eyes grew wide and she shrieked when she saw the four crimson red eyes glaring at her, just a few feet away from them.

"You're his girlfriend!" She stammered.

"Yes, I am, and if you want to keep your arms, you'd better let go of him!"

Amanda released the changeling and ran back into the relative safety of the crowd, which had fallen silent. Beast Boy glared at the demoness.

"What is it with you and blonds?" She snarled as she stood before him, her fists balled.

"What do you care?" He growled at her.

"What do I care? You're my boyfriend! And why did you run away like that?"

"You mean you don't know?"

"No, I don't." She replied.

He harrumphed.

"Well that's a first; the all knowing and wise Raven doesn't know everything after all!"

Raven shrank back to her normal form. She almost looked contrite.

"Gar, let's go back home and talk about this." She quickly glanced at the crowd. "In private."

"There's nothing to talk about, now leave me alone." He said as he began to walk away.

She grabbed his wrist.

"Gar, please."

He made eye contact with her.

"I'm not going on any more missions, Rave. No more 'accidents'. And I'm not working for him anymore."

"Ok, we won't talk to Slade, but let's at least talk to Bats."

"He won't change my mind."

"Let's go home now." She pleaded in a soft voice. "Please."

He heaved a huge sigh.

"OK, fine. We'll talk at home."

Raven raised her arms and they vanished in one of her black hemispheres.

The crowd stared at the spot they occupied just a moment before. Amanda was now standing next to her mother.

"What did I tell you about talking to strange boys? And you kissed him! That … that thing … she could have killed you ... I could see the jealousy in her eyes … all four of them."

"He's not strange, mom. He's Beast Boy, he's a Teen Titan, and he's a cool superhero."

Her mother crossed her arms.

"Any boy who has a girlfriend like her has to be strange, superhero or not."

_**-(scene break )-**_

Blackfire inspected the star cruiser that would transport her and her team to Earth. It was a new Quasar class ship, armed to the teeth and with a crew of 130 warriors. She caressed the ship's gleaming hull with her palm, feeling the smooth, cool surface of the titanium alloy hull, as if it was a sensual experience. She heard a clicking sound above and saw that the main hatch had been opened. She glided up to the opening, where the ship's captain, a grim faced warrior with a large scar on his face, greeted her.

"The ship will be ready to depart for Earth within the hour, your highness." He announced after bowing to her.

"I appreciate the protocol, but I'm a disgraced princess now, Captain. Have you forgotten that my sister banned me from Tamaran?"

They walked down a long hallway into the bowels of the ship. Once they were alone, he replied.

"Not everyone agrees with her edict … your highness."

Blackfire smiled upon hearing the man's stealth oath of loyalty.

"Thank you, captain. If we are successful with our mission, all will hail me as a Princess of Tamaran."

"As it should be. But tell me your highness, what will this happen if we cannot locate your sister?"

"If? My dear Captain Kressad, she won't be found."

"Then our mission … we have already failed."

Blackfire chuckled as she made eye contact with him.

"Our mission is to sign the treaty. My sister is irrelevant."

"But we need Princess Koriand'r to wed the boy. If we cannot find her …"

"Then I will marry in her place. I might be a disgraced Princess, but I am still a Princess of Tamaran."

"But the boy is also missing."

Blackfire stopped and caressed the Captain's cheek.

"I will marry someone else. Maybe the President's brother or maybe even Cutler himself."

"Your highness, you cannot be serious! Those puny Earthlings … they are unworthy of someone such as you … the very thought of you, a Princess of Tamaran, consummating with a vile human …"

Blackfire roared in laughter.

"Do not worry, Kressad, I would never consummate with a repulsive human like Cutler. I honestly don't understand what my sister sees in Earthlings. My taste in men is only for Tamaranians, and speaking of which … right now … I am hungry." She announce in seductive voice.

"Your highness?"

"Yes, Kressad, at this moment I desire you. Come with me to my quarters."

"B-But your highness, I have a wife." He stammered.

"And I am a Princess; she should understand that my needs and desires come first."

She laughed.

"She should also be flattered, since her husband was good enough for me."

Kressad understood that this wasn't an invitation. If he rejected her advances … in any case, the Princess was an attractive female. What was that Earth saying? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

"Yes, your highness. I will be honored."

_**-( scene break )-**_

The Chromatically Challenged Couple™ rematerialized in the apartment's living room. They locked eyes with each other, after which he turned away from her.

"Gar, what did you mean by 'you thought you knew me'?"

He plopped down on the coach.

"Does what happened back in Jump even bother you, Rave?"

She glared back at him.

"What kind of question is that? If you even have to ask that, then maybe you really don't know me!"

"But you're willing to go out and do it again?"

Raven groaned in frustration.

"Gar … do you have any idea of how lucky we were as Titans? There were so many times we could have accidentally killed someone …"

"But we didn't, Rave."

"Would you have quit if we had unintentionally killed one of the bad guys? I don't recall you quitting when Terra killed Slade."

"That's below the belt, Slade's different, he doesn't count."

He paused.

"Rave, it does scare me, I don't want anyone else to die, even if they are soldiers."

Raven sat down next to him and took his hand.

"Gar, I've always been afraid of that and I still am. When those sailors died back in Jump, part of me died with them. We can't undo what happened, no matter how hard we try, we can't change the past. And I'm afraid of that happening again, even more now than ever."

She paused, deliberating her words.

"I know you're more sensitive about this than I am. It's one of the reasons I love you, you have a pureness of heart that I hope you'll never lose. But we both know what Cutler wants to do, it's the story of all tyrants, he wants to conquer the world. Gar … if he finishes building his military, he will attack, and millions, if not billions, will perish if that happens … we have to stop him."

She dropped her head.

"And some people might have to die in order to save the world."

"I know, I just don't think I can be a part of that." He replied.

Raven squeezed his hand.

"Do you really want to leave me? Do you think I'm a monster? Do you believe I don't feel?"

He looked away from her.

"I'm sorry I ran away."

"You were upset. But you came back."

He gave a boyish smile.

"Only because my jealous girlfriend came looking for me."

She frowned at him.

"Why were you kissing that girl, that gorgeous BLOND girl?"

He laughed nervously while he rubbed the back of his head.

"She kissed me because I saved her cat from a fire."

"You mean the calico you rescued from that apartment building? That was her cat?"

"Yup."

"Why couldn't you save some bald, fat guy's cat?"

The changeling leaned forward and kissed his girlfriend.

"She was pretty, Rave, but not as pretty as you are."

Raven gave him a skeptical look.

"Rae, you know I love you."

Before she could reply the Batwave began to trill. She picked it up and pressed the answer button. Batman's ghostly holographic image appeared, floating in the air.

"I see you survived your mission. When Slade told me that you hadn't called in I was worried … that is until I saw you on the CBC news. You do understand that your cover has been completely blown and your safe house is no longer safe or secure." He droned in his raspy monotone.

"Yeah, dude, we know."

"I have a new safe house for you. It's in Santander, Spain. It's one of my alter ego's vacation homes."

"Spain?" Raven asked. "Spanish isn't one of my better languages."

"But Logan has learned some, at least that's what Mas y Menos reported to me. The house is out of town, so you won't have to hide so much. I've already sent Alfred there and I'm also going to use it as a base of operations, not that I'll spend much time there myself. I was considering sending you to a house I have in London, unfortunately the UK government is getting cozy with Cutler, too cozy if you ask me. For now, only Bruce Wayne will be able to safely use that house."

"What about Slade?" Beast Boy asked.

"He's already preparing the next covert mission, which will be much harder to pull off. The first mission exceeded our expectations, and Cutler is furious. I did hear that there was a complication with your mission. I'm sorry about what happened, like you the Justice League tries to prevent fatalities, so I understand how you feel. Collateral damage is an unfortunate reality in this business; all we can do is try to minimize it. You weren't the only ones to incur casualties. At least in your case none were civilians."

"What! Are saying that civilians were killed in other missions?" Beast Boy asked.

"Sadly, yes. They were actually killed by reckless US actions and not by our people. In the end it doesn't matter to the victims or the families who was at fault, all we can do is try to be more careful next time. I've instructed Slade to give you some time off before the next mission, at least a couple of months."

"What about the others? Did Kid Flash find them?"

"Negative. Unfortunately he became ill and had to discontinue his search. He's battling a high fever as we speak, something he picked up in the rainforest. But before you get too worried, if Cutler's men had captured or killed them, we would know by now. And he needs Starfire and Robin alive to seal that treaty with Tamaran. Starfire's sister is on her way to Earth to handle the signing of that accord."

"They sent Blackfire. Dude! That blows. She's evil, I mean really evil."

"I agree. There's no doubt Cutler wants access to Tamaranian technology for his military. I'm still trying to figure out what the American government will give them in return. But back to your relocation. I want you to leave for Santander immediately, I've sent you the coordinates. I will issue a press release indicating that you, along with the other teams we had based in Canada and Mexico, have been relocated out of those countries. I will also handle the sale of your Vancouver residence and send the money to you. The paperwork will be waiting for you in Spain. Unless you have any questions, we'll talk again after you arrive in Spain."

Without even saying goodbye, Batman cut the connection and his image disappeared.

"I think I know why Robbie ditched him." Beast Boy replied as he crossed his arms. "The guy's a douche bag."

"He's right though, we need to leave right away."

He took her hand.

"So … are we OK?"

She hesitated before replying.

"Do you know me, Gar?"

"I'm sorry I said that."

"You sounded rather convinced when you said it … so … do you know me?"

"Yeah, I do … you're a good person, Rave. I'm lucky to have you."

She pulled him into a hug and gave him a tender kiss.

"You have no idea of just how lucky you are." She said with a smirk. "And don't ever run away like that again. If something's bugging you, tell me … and if I ever go chasing after you again and I find you in another woman's arms …"

"Oh come on, I told you … she kissed me, I didn't start it! And you're an empath, so I can't lie to you."

She shook her head.

"Garfield Logan, what am I going to do with you?"

He wagged his eyebrows at her.

"How about you come with me to the couch and we make out?"

"Works for me." She replied. "It's too bad we aren't married though."

"Huh, why's that?"

She gave him a sly smile.

"If we were, we could have 'make up' sex instead of just making out."

He stared at her dumbfounded, until he recovered.

"Did I ever tell you that you're mean, Rave?"

"More than once, if I recall correctly." She replied before giving him a less than chaste kiss.

_**-( scene break )-**_

I know, we didn't visit the jungle today. Next time, I promise.

And on Young Justice, I saw BB do something he NEVER did as a Teen Titan …

He was doing his homework!


	16. Dinner in the Hacienda

Cyborg silently returned to the cavern where they were hiding the T-Ship wreckage, tossing the piece he was going to show to Robin on top of an improvised workbench. Grunting his displeasure he began to sift through a pile of salvaged electronics, pulling a circuit board out. He briefly examined it before tossing it back into the pile. There was no way he could now focus on the restoration project he had started, not after witnessing the display he had just seen between the couple he had, until that moment, thought of as "cute".

What he had just witnessed was anything but cute. They were known for their bashfulness when together, exchanging at most chaste kisses. No, this was … carnal. Starfire, one of his 'little sisters', was grabbing Robin's butt while she shoved her tongue into his mouth. And the Boy Blunder was enjoying himself thoroughly, and his hands were wandering all over Starfire's curvy figure. It figured, though. They weren't kids anymore. Still, it was disturbing. His thoughts wandered and he recalled the two absent Titans. He contemplated what they might be doing at this moment and grimaced. That thought was even more disturbing.

He plopped himself down on a large rock that was improvising for a chair and sighed.

"So what if they're engaged, they don't have to behave like that." He muttered in a low voice. "No need to rub it in my face."

Cyborg heaved a huge sigh as he remembered the only woman who loved him just the way he was. A woman who lived … and died … 5000 years ago. He stood up and punched a stalagmite, which shattered and fell to the ground.

"Dammit Raven, why didn't you leave me there?" He growled.

He shook away the thought. There was no way his friends could have known about Sarasim, all they knew was that he was lost in the past and they did everything they could to find him and bring him back. He would have done the same had it been any of them.

But he still missed Sarasim. He missed her warm smile, the feeling of her soft lips on his cheek. He missed everything about her, especially everything that didn't happen because he was yanked away with no warning. It didn't matter now as she was gone, dead. By this point in time even her bones had most likely turned into dust.

His jaw trembled as he pondered the unfairness of his life: the accident that required his transformation into a monster, his never ending loneliness which he always hid behind a mask that pretended to be joyful and happy. And now he was a fugitive from his own homeland, hiding in a jungle from soldiers who once looked up to him. And Sarasim felt so far away, she might as well have never existed, at least from his perspective.

"Cyborg?"

The Tin Man snapped out of his funk.

"Yo Rob, what's up?" He asked in a melancholic voice.

"Is something wrong?"

Cyborg shook his head.

"It's nuthin', I'm just feeling sorry for myself ... so what's going on with you and Star?"

A smile appeared on the Boy Wonder's face.

"I'm going to ask Fr. Barreto marry us."

Cyborg's human eye betrayed his surprise.

"You mean here, in the jungle?"

Robin chuckled happily.

"Yeah."

"Uh Rob, you and Star, you're only twenty years old … aren't you guys jumping the gun here?"

Dick crossed his arms before replying.

"I would have agreed with you back in Jump City, Cy."

"I know, so what made you change your mind?"

Robin became very quiet and finally answered in a whisper.

"I almost lost her."

Cyborg nodded while Robin continued.

"We aren't in normal times. We are basically at war with Cutler and his regime. Who knows how long it will be until things are 'back to normal'? It might never happen. And besides, why should we wait? Because of some preconceived convention that you're supposed to go to college and start a career before you pick a life partner? Cy, I already know who that is. It couldn't be anyone other than Starfire. So what point is there in waiting?"

The Tin Man grinned.

"Sounds like you two have it all figured out."

"Right, and I'm going to ask Fr. Barreto to marry us tonight."

"Tonight? You mean tonight … as in tonight?"

"That's right, Cy"

Cyborg frowned as he appeared lost in thought. After a moment he locked eyes with Robin.

"Rob, you aren't Catholic, are you? I sure know that Star ain't"

"Uh, no … my parents were Presbyterians and Bruce is Episcopalian … why do you ask?"

"You might want to check with the Padre, but unless you guys are Catholic, I don't think he can perform a ceremony for you …"

Robin's became crestfallen. Cyborg scratched his chin.

"… unless … he performs a civil ceremony. It would be 100% legit, with a certificate and the whole 9 yards."

Robin brightened.

"I didn't think of that … thanks!"

"No problem." The Tin Man replied, once again looking slightly glum.

"Cyborg, something's wrong, I can tell."

Victor sighed.

"I was thinking about Sarasim."

"Oh … right … I guess you miss her."

"More than you can imagine."

"You lost her … I … I can understand how you feel."

"Yeah … I guess I also understand why you and Star are eager to tie the knot. But what about the grass stain and Raven? They're gonna miss your wedding."

"I know, we can have another one when times are … happier. It's hard not knowing where they are or if they're OK."

"I'm sure they're fine, probably kicking Cutler's butt while we rot in this jungle."

Robin smacked his fist into his palm.

"When we're ready, we'll find Raven and Beast Boy. And then … we'll teach Cutler that no one, and I mean no one messes with the Titans."

Cyborg grinned as the two men fist bumped.

"You got that right, gel hair!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven's spectral bird descended from the Spanish sky in its obsidian glory, its wings spread wide as it flew down towards the elegant Spanish Hacienda that sat on top of the small mountain, overlooking Santander and the Bay of Biscay, which shimmered a deep azure. The black bird landed in front of the mansion's main door. The bird disappeared and Raven's signature black hemisphere rose from the ground, its tell tale hum was carried away by a balmy breeze. The dark dome disappeared, as if by evaporation, leaving the Chromatically Challenged Couple™ on the door step.

Raven rang the door bell and its elegant chime echoed behind the intricately carved oak door. Beast Boy was looking at the city below and the ocean beyond it. As they waited for someone to answer the door Raven joined the changeling in taking in the spectacular vista before them.

"That is quite a view." She remarked.

Beast Boy chuckled.

"Cy would say something like 'someone should build a house here'."

"Except Bruce Wayne already did." She replied.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the huge door creaking open.

"Miss Raven, Master Garfield, welcome to Santander." A voice with a British accent welcomed them.

"You must be Mr. Pennyworth." Raven asked.

"Please, just call me Alfred. Mr. Pennyworth is my father's name. Don't mind your luggage, I will take of it. Your arrival was perfectly timed, as dinner is ready to be served. I prepared Paella Valenciana."

"Thanks, Alfred." Beast Boy replied. "Uh, that has meat in it, right?"

"Of course it does." Raven interrupted. "Alfred, you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble. We would have been fine with some sandwiches."

"It was no trouble Miss Raven. Master Bruce is here tonight, and you will be joining him for dinner. And do not worry, Master Garfield, I have prepared a small portion with tofu for you. Now if you'll please follow me."

Alfred's heels clicked on the tiled floors as he led them through the spacious mansion, which was decorated in an elegant and at the same time rustic style, with large leather couches, ancient Spanish armor and paintings Raven recognized as being the works of Spanish masters such as Velazquez and Goya. After following him through what felt like a maze they approached a brightly lit room.

They followed Alfred, holding hands with each other, into the room which had a huge, long mahogany table with a massive, candelabra like chandelier hanging above. As they entered they saw Bruce Wayne sitting at the end of the table. He stood to greet them and that was when Raven saw that he was accompanied at the table by … Steve and Rita Dayton, AKA Mento and Elastigirl.

Raven felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach and while her face did not betray her, Beast Boy felt the grip on his hand tighten significantly. He squeezed back reassuringly as he made eye contact with his adoptive parents. Rita stood up, beaming happily.

"Garfield! Look at how much you've grown!" She gushed as she wrapped her arms around him.

The changeling returned the hug. When they released each other he gestured towards his girlfriend.

"Mom, this is …"

"Raven!" She completed the sentence. "I haven't forgotten you, my dear. We met when we fought the Brotherhood of Evil … Steve has told me all about you lately."

"Hopefully, everything he said about me was good." Raven replied in a monotone that was flat even by her standards.

Rita snickered.

"He did tell me that you stole my little boy from me."

Raven and Rita locked eyes. Rita's words and demeanor were friendly, but Raven remained an empath and she could sense the unease from the woman. There was some hostility too, though nothing like what was emanating from her husband, but it was there.

"Believe me when I say this, Mrs. Dayton, he's worth stealing."

Beast Boy snickered.

"Please, Raven, call me Rita."

"Actually, mom, I'm the lucky one. Raven is the most awesome girl in the world."

For a split second Rita's face betrayed her displeasure upon hearing those words.

"I'm sure she is, Garfield. Now let's all sit down for dinner!"

Rita and Steve were seated to Bruce's left and there were two spots opposite from them, with their names written on paper markers. Raven found herself sitting opposite from Mento, who like Bruce was out of costume. That she was sitting at dinner with two billionaires who were also superheroes was not lost on her. But it was then that the reality of the situation hit her: Beast Boy was the heir to the Dayton fortune, which was worth many billions of dollars, or from their current perspective, billions of Euros. The reality of the situation, which she had plainly overlooked, was that she was the financially "ordinary" girlfriend of an heir to billions. Could it be possible that this was the real source of their resentment towards her?

Or was it simply because she was a demon?

Alfred reappeared, pushing a trolley that had a huge terrine on it.

"I prepared a cream of carrot soup to begin." He announced in his prim and proper voice as he began to serve the orange colored soup.

"So, Raven, Bruce mentioned to us that you're taking two months off from the missions." Mento asked in a stiff but polite voice.

"That is correct. Garfield and I will be spending the time here at Mr. Wayne's generous invitation."

"I see. That was a small apartment you were sharing in Vancouver, you should have more room here … for privacy."

"Actually, Mento, it was 200 square meters in size. It was quite spacious." Raven replied. "We had no problems with privacy."

"I see." Mento replied.

There was a pregnant pause as the room fell silent

"Mento, let's not pretend that you like me. We all remember what happened in Cancun." Raven announced.

Bruce cleared his throat.

"Yes, that's why I asked the Daytons to join us today. What happened back in Cancun was unfortunate, and Steve didn't really mean what he called you."

"I don't see why not. He was right; I am a demon and a witch. And I want their son for myself."

"Rave, what are you doing?" the changeling whispered.

"I am being truthful, Garfield. And I expect the same courtesy from your adoptive parents."

Mento stood up, throwing his napkin into the table.

"I knew this was pointless. We thought that we'd be nice to you, for Garfield's sake; at least until he realized that he could do so much better than you and move on to someone nicer. But no, you had to throw our reconciliatory gesture back into our face, you purple haired demon!"

"Dad!" Beast Boy protested. "Raven's my girl, whether you like it or not."

"Really? Will you still feel that way if we cut you off?"

Raven almost gasped when she heard the threat. Beast Boy looked indignant.

"Have I EVER asked you for money?" He seethed. "Never, and I never will!"

Mento grabbed Elastigirl's elbow and dragged her from her seat.

"I know you meant well, Bruce, but this was a waste of time. As you can see, this witch has cast a spell on our boy …"

"I'm not a boy anymore."

"Shut up, Garfield. You're coming with us. We know people who can do magic, and we'll have you exorcised and freed from this … THING'S influence."

Beast Boy locked eyes with Rita, who immediately looked away from him.

"I'm not going with you. I'm staying with Raven."

"Garfield, I'm not asking you to come with us." Mento bellowed.

"And I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not going with you, end of story."

Mento frowned as he placed his fingers on his right temple.

"Garfield, don't make me force you."

"Leave. Him. Alone." Raven hissed.

"Or what, witch? You'll cast a spell on us too? It won't work on me, I'm not weak minded like he is."

Alfred and Bruce were staring; slack jawed, at the fracas that threatened to explode in front of them.

"It's true; I'm a demon and a witch. But I respect your son more than you do."

Mento's face became as cold as ice.

"Come on, Rita, it's time for us to leave."

_**-( scene break )-**_

The six core members of the Justice League sat at the round table in the inner sanctum of the orbiting Watchtower. J'onn J'onzz, The Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Green Lantern and Hawkgirl sat in their assigned seats. Batman's empty chair stood out like a sore thumb.

The Martian Manhunter stood up and addressed his teammates.

"So, are we in agreement that it is time for us to intervene?"

One by one they nodded their heads in the affirmative.

"Very well, it is unanimous. Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, I want you to go down immediately. Be prepared to encounter Cutler's forces, while they are not looking for you, they won't hesitate to engage you, as we witnessed with the Teen Titans. Good luck with your mission."

The three heroes stood and made their way to the teleportation room.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven was in the Lotus position, levitating over the bed in her room, attempting in vain to mollify the bubbling cauldron of anger that boiled within her. She could hear Mento's insults over and over in her head while seeing his smug face.

"_at least until he realized that he could do so much better than you"_

Raven gritted her teeth upon hearing those words again in her mind. With a moan she lowered her feet to the floor and gave up meditating.

"I am good enough for him." She muttered to herself.

"_Of course we are."_ A guttural voice echoed in her mind.

"I don't have time for you now, so leave me alone." Raven growled back.

"_No, Raven, I won't. If we don't do something soon, we will lose him."_

"Nonsense."

"_Really? Might I remind you of Terra? Or how about that beautiful girl in Vancouver? He's a babe magnet, Raven. If we snooze, we're gonna lose him."_

Raven tensed up as she remembered those two, as well as the other girls Beast Boy had begun to date during the past two years as he matured. They were all simply gorgeous, with huge smiles, curvy figures and bubbly personalities.

"_Do you want to wait until he finds the right girl, and then completely forgets about us?"_

Raven closed her eyes as a tear dripped down her face.

"No." She whimpered.

"_Then trust us, Raven."_

"I'm not going to let you take over, Rage."

"_Not me … let her drive."_

In her mind's eye Raven saw one of her emotions, antropomorphisized as they appeared in Nevermore. Her cape was a hot pink, and instead if wearing a leotard she wore a thong bikini.

"_Let go, Raven, you know you want to."_ The pink emotion called out to her in a silky, seductive voice.

"No, it's still too soon."

She heard Mento's voice again.

"_at least until he realized that he could do so much better than you"_

"_Well, Raven?" _The silky voice enticed her.

The expression on Raven's face changed. A sensuous smile appeared and her eyes looked hungry. She was clad in a pair of pajama bottoms and a T-Shirt, which she removed. She then grabbed her cape and put it on, after which she exited her room. It was late and Alfred had turned in for the night. Bruce left shortly after dinner and of course the Daytons didn't even wait that long.

Raven didn't make a sound as she walked barefoot down the hall to the changeling's room. She opened his door without knocking. He was resting on his bed, reading a graphic novel. He looked up and saw the caped and hooded figure standing in front of him.

"Rave? Are you OK?"

Raven parted her cape and undid the clasp, dropping the cape to the floor. Beast Boy gasped as she stood before him in nothing more than her birthday suit. His eyes locked on immediately to her perfectly formed chest. He gulped and looked at her face instead.

"It's OK, Gar, you can look at all of me, I don't mind it. In fact, I actually like it."

She extended her hand and he levitated above his bed. With her powers she deftly removed his pajama bottoms, tossing them aside before gently depositing him back on the bed. Using a pillow, he covered himself, before slipping under the covers. Smiling warmly she slipped under the covers and joined him.

"Hi … Rave." He squeaked. "Is this what I think it is?"

She nodded her affirmation.

"Shouldn't we wait … until we're married?" He gulped.

She pressed her soft and warm body against him. He felt his arousal spiraling out of control. He heart was pounding like a jack hammer.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" She purred.

"You mean you would marry me?"

"Of course, my beloved."

Beast Boy swallowed hard.

"Will you marry me, Raven?"

"Yes, I will."

Raven gestured once again with her hand. The electric light turned off and a second later it was replaced by the soft, warm amber glow of candles.

Beast Boy never forgot that night.


	17. Remorse

It was a dark moonless night in the rainforest and the only light the three Titans had to guide them was the lamp that popped out of Cyborg's shoulder as Starfire was still too weak to conjure even a tiny star bolt. As they emerged from the cave the sounds of the night surrounded them. Cyborg aimed his light around the entrance to the cave and its luminosity was reflected by strange insects which were huge and shimmered like jewels. Fluorescent mammalian eyes looked down from the tree tops, reflecting Cyborg's eyes in eerie colors.

"I don't know about you guys, but this place is just plain creepy." Cyborg remarked as he led the way to the village.

The path was narrow and Robin could almost feel the insects that seemed to be everywhere. Bugs were his secret phobia and other than Raven, who learned that secret along with many others when she entered his mind many years before, no one else knew, not even Bruce or Alfred. Concealing his unease behind his stoic face he continued walking behind Cyborg. He hid it well, until Starfire reached out and grabbed what looked like a cross between a Praying Mantis and a Hercules beetle. Whatever it was, it was over six inches long and had huge legs.

"Robin! Look at what I found! Is it not adorable?"

The giant bug brought back memories of Killer Moth and his mutant bugs. Robin never had to face that nefarious swarm, thank heaven. Having to fight Fang was bad enough and he was part human. Robin stared at the nightmarish critter that Starfire held in her hand. She giggled as she played with the creature, teasing it with her index finger while it snapped at her with its huge pincers.

"Yes, nice." He replied.

She shoved the huge creepy crawly into his hands.

"Here, you play with it!"

The creature's wings spread out and to the Boy Wonder's immense relief it flew away.

"Star … let's not … harass the insects."

Starfire resumed giggling. Robin couldn't help but smile. She looked so happy and full of joy. Now that the winged nightmare was gone he began to smile as well, as it began to really sink in that he was going to take what perhaps was the most important step of his life. Cyborg had spent the afternoon improvising a honeymoon suite in the cave where they could have some privacy while they spent their first night together as husband and wife.

Robin pondered all that had changed since he met his four teammates on the streets of Jump City, in front of the wedge shaped pizzeria that eventually became their home away from home. Back then they were little more than children, barely teenagers, except for Cyborg who was older than them. He remembered Beast Boy who was little more than a runt at the time. Raven, shy and painfully introverted and Starfire, who threw a car at him.

That had all changed. Dick still wore the traffic light outfit and was getting ready to transition into Nightwing when they had to flee the city. He was now taller, more muscular and was beginning to let his hair grow longer. Yet deep inside he still felt like the kid who ran away from the Batcave, determined to show his former mentor just what he was really made of.

Beast Boy had matured the most. He still had his playful personality and still cracked lame jokes. Unlike the man Starfire saw in the future he was taller and had developed a handsome physique. But the biggest change was the seriousness with which he approached his work.

Raven was perhaps the one who had changed the least, if only on the surface. Robin knew better and could read the subtle changes which masked the really huge changes that had happened over the years. She was no longer a recluse and she had warmed up to Beast Boy. For Raven that was a big deal, a really big deal. Plus every once in a while she smiled and laughed. A really big deal indeed.

Then there was Cyborg. While he tried to hide it behind his boisterous façade, Robin could see it: the melancholy. He talked about it with Raven, who as an empath could sense the loneliness Cyborg felt. As the team leader Robin felt that it was his job to fix what was wrong with his team and his teammates. Accepting that that there was nothing he could do to help his friend was a bitter pill to swallow.

And right now there were many bitter pills to swallow. Cutler had hoodwinked him; they were forced to flee the Tower and had to destroy it so it wouldn't fall into Cutler's hands. And then there were Raven and Beast Boy, whose whereabouts and wellbeing remained unknown to him. And to top it all off, they were stuck hiding in a jungle. To quote his fiancé: it was not glorious.

But tonight would be glorious, the most special day of their lives. Sure, there were getting married in a bug infested jungle, but it could be worse, he reasoned, a lot worse. Had Starfire taken one more hit in the Naval ambush they would probably be having a funeral instead of a wedding.

"Ok, ya'll, we're here."

The village was a large circular structure with a courtyard in the middle. The natives lived in a communal society. There were no individual homes, just a large circle of hammocks under a roof made of large leaves, like those found on a banana plant. Starfire remarked that it reminded her of their now lost and destroyed crescent shaped couch. There was a large fire in the middle of the courtyard, where the village women, who were all topless, roasted strange looking animals.

Father Barreto lived in a small hut right next to the village. He had brought a small table into the village and there was some paperwork on it, along with a huge candle. He smiled as they arrived and beckoned them to approach.

"I believe we are ready. First of all, I must tell you that the villagers have no concept of marriage such as we do. They simply agree to be mated. They have no ceremony to commemorate the event nor do they take any vows. Also … they do not kiss."

"You're joking." Cyborg remarked.

"No, I am not. I am telling you this because they won't participate in your ceremony. In fact, they won't even understand what it is that you are doing. I am afraid that the ceremony will be short and simple. But it will be recognized as legally binding by the Brazilian government. Shall we begin? The villagers are eager to begin their welcoming feast."

Robin and Starfire turned to face each other and smiled.

"We are ready." They announced in one voice.

The Priest smiled.

"Very well. I will ask you some questions and then you will exchange your vows."

He turned to Starfire.

"Princess Starfire, are you free to marry?"

A puzzled look appeared on her face.

"Free? I do not understand. I am not a slave of the Citadel. Is that what you mean by free?"

The Priest chuckled.

"Forgive me. What I mean to ask is … are you already married?"

"I see, I understand now. No I am no married. That said, as a member of the Royal Family of Tamaran I can legally have up to twelve husbands. That is an archaic tradition though, and has not been practiced in over 2000 years."

"Twelve husbands?" Robin asked, unable to conceal the shock in his voice.

"Do not worry my betrothed; I will do as you humans would say, to forsake all others."

Fr. Barreto smiled.

"That was my next question, but you have already answered it. Please forgive me for asking, but it is required by law that I do so."

He turned to Robin.

"Robin of the Titans, are you free to marry?"

"I am and I will forsake all others for Starfire."

"Very good, we will now proceed with the vows … Robin will you take Starfire as your legally wedded wife?"

"I will"

Starfire was bouncing with excitement at this point.

"Princess Starfire …"

"I will!" She interrupted, unable to contain herself.

Fr. Barreto spread his arms.

"You are now married."

Robin and Starfire wrapped their arms around each other and exchanged a deep kiss. Some of the younger women, still in their early teens, approached them and stared curiously at the 'lip contact'. A camera had flipped out of Cyborg's other shoulder and recorded the event for posterity. Hopefully Raven and Beast Boy would get to see it someday.

As soon as they separated, Fr. Barreto gestured towards a spot that had been reserved for the three Titans around the fire, and they immediately took their place of honor. The newlyweds held hands while the cooks pulled some meat out of the fire, placing it on large banana leaves and handing them to the guests. Starfire sniffed it, smiled and began to devour it greedily while Robin and Cyborg cast wary eyes at the cat sized creatures that lay on the banana leaves.

"What is this?" Robin stammered while Starfire asked for seconds.

"It is a marsupial, similar to the opossum found in North America. It is considered a delicacy." Fr. Barreto replied as he began to eat his own portion. "It's not bad, actually, better than roast tarantula."

Robin stared at the dead, roasted animal on his leaf.

"Yo, Rob, if we don't eat the villagers will be insulted."

The Boy Wonder knew Cyborg was right. As he mentally prepared himself to take a bite and not throw up three silhouetted figures entered the village. Robin dropped his food, leaped to his feet and launched three bird-a-rangs in their direction. With lightning speed the center figure, still shrouded in the dark, caught all three weapons.

"That's not a nice way to greet a rescuer." A familiar voice called out.

"Superman?" Cyborg asked breathlessly. "How did you find us?"

The man of steel, along with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern came close enough to the fire to be seen.

"That fire is easy to spot. There are dozens of villages nearby, but Kal just used his Supervision to search each one." Wonder Woman replied.

"Sorry to crash your wedding party." Hal Jordan interrupted. "But we'd like to take you back to the Watchtower, for your safety … and theirs."

_**-( scene break )-**_

A stray beam of sunlight escaped through where the drapes parted as they were not fully shut and it landed on the sorceress' face, waking her from her gentle slumber. She remained still in the bed as she woke up, not wishing to disturb the perfect peace in her room.

With her eyes still shut she moaned happily. She hadn't told Beast Boy, but starting around the time Cutler was elected she began to have a series of erotic dreams, dreams that included the changeling. And these dreams grew both in their frequency and intensity.

Raven welcomed the dreams, as they served as a conduit, an escape valve for the cauldron of power and intense emotions that were driven by her demonic half. And best of all, while she was in the dream state, also known as REM sleep, her powers were disconnected from her mind, just as a normal person's motor skills would disconnect during REM sleep. So not only could she not hurt herself, others would be safe from her unbridled powers as well.

She recalled last night's dream. This one had been unique in its realism and its intensity. It was so real, so intense and so powerful that the dreams were beginning to worry her. His touch … it felt so …

Raven froze as she felt fingertips caressing her back, her naked back. Her eyes popped wide open as she rolled over. She found herself staring into a pair of emerald eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?"

Raven gasped.

"Oh Azar!"

It hadn't been a dream after all.

The changeling flashed a smile that was as warm and welcoming as a sunrise. Raven's response was to stare at him, completely dumbfounded.

"Rave? Are you OK?"

Raven retreated under the sheets, looking like a turtle hiding in its shell.

"Gar … that … that wasn't me last night."

"Huh? … it sure seemed like you … if it wasn't you … who was it?"

Raven sat up, still covering herself modestly with the sheet.

"I lost control." She stammered.

"You mean Rage got loose again?" He shrieked. "Please tell she didn't get out again."

Raven dropped her head.

"No … it wasn't Rage … she distracted me while another emotion ambushed me."

"You mean someone else got loose? Who? Happy?" He asked. "It sure wasn't Timid."

"It was a part of me that you didn't see the time you visited Nevermore … because I usually keep her even more locked away than Rage."

"Really … you mean she's worse than Rage?"

"In some ways she is … but I hide her because … I'm ashamed of her."

"What? Ashamed? Ashamed of what?"

"She tricked me. She used my dreams to break loose. I thought I had her under control, I thought the dreams were an escape valve … but I was wrong."

He shook his head in bewilderment.

"Dreams? What kind of dreams? Are they some sort of prophesy?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing that dramatic."

"Rave … tell me … don't keep secrets from me."

Raven sighed.

"They were erotic dreams. Gar, every night I would dream I was having sex with you. I … I thought it would be a way of controlling her, to keep her from becoming too strong. But I was wrong, it only made her stronger and it made me weaker. The dreams only made me want you even more until … last night … Rage distracted me and Lust took over ... Gar … I'm so sorry … I can only imagine what you must be thinking of me right …"

The changeling covered her lips with his finger tips.

"So who made love with me last night? You … or her?"

"I can't lie, Gar … while she took over … the truth is that Lust is part of me … and the reason she is so strong is because I am a lustful demoness."

"Half demoness." He corrected her.

He cupped her cheek with his palm.

"So when I asked you to marry me, it was you who said yes?"

She nodded.

"Gar, if you'll still have me …"

"Don't say that! Of course I will, why wouldn't I?"

She raised her hand to shush him.

"There's more … I would like us to remain celibate until we marry."

His face fell.

"What?"

"Gar, you have to understand, I … we can't allow our relationship to be defined by sex."

He was unable to hide the sudden unhappiness from his face.

"Raven, we both know this isn't just about sex. You know I love you. You know I refused to touch you until you accepted my proposal."

"Yes, that's true. I'm just afraid of her."

"Don't be. Embrace her."

For the first time that morning she smiled at him.

"You'd like that, Gar, wouldn't you?"

He smiled back at her.

"Yeah, I would … I have an idea."

"Yes?"

"Let's have Alfred take us down to city hall, you know, the 'Ayuntamiento' building, today."

"Gar, are you sure you want to do that? Your parents …"

"Screw them."

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. You're the one, Rave … I guess the only question left is … am I the one?"

She looked him in the eyes. His emerald orbs were deep and powerful.

"Yes, you are. And I will go with you into town and marry you."

He kissed her tenderly on the lips before gently pulling her down next to him. She melted into his embrace and began to trace random figures in his chest with her index finger.

"Gar?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that we're still naked?"

"I know … you wanna get dressed now?"

"No, not yet."

"So what do you wanna do?"

She whispered into his ear.

"Ravage me, my Beast"

_**-( scene break )-**_

"_X'Hal's Glory, this is Washington air traffic control. Your flight approach is cleared and you are authorized to land at Reagan National Airport. Welcome to Earth, Ambassador."_

President Cutler and his staff stood inside the airport terminal, accompanied by two platoons of Lightning Troopers in their high tech armor, brandishing their laser rifles. The X'Hal's Glory, the Quasar class starship that was carrying Ambassador Kommand'r and her own staff, gleamed like a comet in the cloudy sky as it approached the airport.

Cutler didn't know much about the Tamaranians, other than the video footage he had seen of the Teen Titan known as Starfire. The countless troops he deployed in western Brazil had been unable to locate her or any of the other two Titans. He was in a foul mood because of this, knowing that the treaty was now in jeopardy without the princess and the stupid masked boy.

It had all been Messersmith's fault, for throwing his weight around. Had he not suggested antagonizing he changeling and the witch they would all still be in Jump City. The fairytale wedding would have proceeded as planned and the treaty would have been in the bag. At least Messersmith wouldn't be making any more mistakes. Cutler smiled as he remembered how that very morning Messersmith begged for his life before the Lightning Trooper firing squad gave him what he deserved.

The Princess remained at large and Cutler had already prepared his strategy: he would arrange a simple trade between his government and Tamaran. They would skip the pleasantries of a treaty and get down to business. He knew the ambassador might balk at that and was prepared to sweeten the pot to close the deal. He knew everyone had their price, at that included aliens.

The massive star cruiser pulled up to the terminal and Cutler watched the jet way roll out towards the ship's main hatch. It was raining a downpour outside and a formal state reception of the ship had to be cancelled.

Reagan National Airport had been converted for use only for Patriot Party business. The unwashed could trudge over to Virginia to use Dulles International airport. The terminal had been cleared for the reception and the visitors were quick to disembark. A platoon of fierce looking warriors, armed with sharp pikes emerged first from the jet way and secured the area around the gate, ignoring the protests of the Lighting Troopers.

Cutler shushed his men just as she emerged. She was dressed in full battle armor, including the signature M shaped face crown that Tamaranian Princesses wore. Cutler approached her, extending his hand to greet her.

"Welcome to the United States, Ambassador Kommand'r"

She took he hand and smiled, squeezing it hard enough to let him know she could break every bone in his body if she so desired.

"Please, Mr. President, call me Blackfire … Princess Blackfire."

Cutler almost choked upon hearing the words.

"Your Highness, are you related somehow to Princess Starfire? I do see a resemblance."

"She's my kid sister. I know she disappeared, no doubt to thwart our little treaty."

"I am so sorry that we lost her. My men are doing everything possible to find her."

Blackfire dismissed his remark with a gesture of her hand.

"I wouldn't worry about her; she'll show up when she's good and ready."

Cutler looked confused.

"But, what about the wedding to seal the treaty? What if she doesn't appear?"

"Don't worry about that Cutler; I too am a Princess of Tamaran. I will marry to seal the treaty."

Cutler looked astonished.

"You will, but with who?"

Blackfire grinned evilly at the President, who for the first time since he was elected felt genuine fear. The princess was stunningly beautiful, but Cutler knew evil first hand, and this woman was evil.

"With who, you ask? Isn't it obvious?" She laughed.

"I'm going to marry you, Adam Cutler!"

_**-( scene break )-**_


	18. Alfred's Surpise

The tingling sensation passed as quickly as it arrived as the six super heroes materialized on the teleportation pad. The three Justice Leaguers calmly stepped off of their circles while the Titans gazed around in a somewhat dumbfounded state. A Watchtower staffer, dressed in the standard light blue uniform, politely cleared her throat before speaking.

"If you don't mind, there are other people who need to use the teleporter, so if you would kindly step off the pads."

The three Titans smiled sheepishly and stepped off the teleporter.

"Thanks. I know being teleported for the first time can be an unusual experience."

"We've teleported before." Robin replied, his pride somewhat wounded. "But not using Justice League technology."

Another voice joined the conversation.

"Yes, we are aware that Raven can use her mystical powers to achieve the same effect."

The three Titans turned and saw J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter.

"Welcome to the Watchtower, we have been monitoring you since you left Jump City. I apologize for not helping you sooner, but all of our resources were occupied at the time."

"So you've been watching us?" Cyborg asked.

"That is correct."

"Do you know where our friends are?" Starfire asked.

"Unfortunately, we do not. They were last observed in Vancouver, Canada, shortly after the American attack. We cannot trace Raven's teleportation jumps, so we are unfortunately ignorant of their current location."

"American attack?" Robin asked.

"Yes, we will brief you on all that has happened this past week. But I believe that Miss Starfire requires medical attention. We have an excellent xeno-physician on board and she is familiar with Tamaranian physiology. Miss Davis here will escort Starfire to the infirmary. They rest of you can come with me as I have some more questions to ask."

Yeoman Davis gestured to Starfire to follow her. As they began to walk away Robin ran to accompany her.

"Robin, your teammate is in good hands, please come with me." The Martian gently commanded him.

Starfire beamed.

"Do not worry, my beloved husband, I will be the OK."

The Martian turned towards Cyborg.

"Husband?" He asked.

Cyborg grinned.

"I guess you guys don't know everything after all."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Alfred pushed the housekeeping trolley down the hallway. As the Santander house was only used as a Wayne residence and never for Batclan business, it was normally kept year round by a local staff consisting of a governess and a maid. Alfred sent them away on paid time off, a two month vacation which neither protested. This of course allowed Raven and Beast Boy to not have to wear their holorings while in the house. It also meant that Alfred had to do everything to keep the Hacienda ship shape, which of course was how he liked it.

He stopped in front of the door to Raven's room, and after grabbing a feather duster he knocked on the door. He waited before knocking a second time.

"Miss Raven? May I enter?"

After a long pregnant pause he entered the room. Being the majordomo of the world's greatest detective, Alfred had learned to instinctively examine a room for clues.

The bed had not been slept in, that was plainly obvious to even the most novice of gumshoes. He then noticed that Raven's leotard was draped over a chair and her blue boots where on the floor next to the chair, but her blue cape was missing.

Alfred walked further into the room, which shared a bathroom with the changeling's room next door. The heavy oak door to the bath was shut and he could faintly hear the shower running. He approached the door and pressed his ear to it. He was able to discern the sound of two people giggling.

He turned and calmly marched out of the room closing the door behind him. As he pushed the trolley back to the storage closet where it was kept he sighed.

"Oh, to be young and in love." He whispered to himself.

Alfred was accustomed to looking the other way on the countless occasions when Bruce brought a shapely young lady home to spend the night. Alfred was very old fashioned and didn't approve of such nocturnal encounters, but Master Bruce was a grown man and could make his own decisions. Alfred of course harbored the secret hope that eventually one of them would capture Bruce's heart and that he might trade the cape and cowl for wedded bliss. This of course was a pipe dream, but Alfred gave himself the luxury of hope.

Knowing that the changeling and the demoness had spent an unchaste night together did bother him immensely, however. While they too were now of legal age that knowledge provided him with little comfort. If was of course because they were Master Richard's teammates, known collectively as the Teen Titans. It didn't matter that they were no longer teenagers, in his mind Dick Grayson was still a boy and by extension the amorous couple in the shower were still also children, regardless of what the calendar said.

Alfred parked the trolley in the closet and headed back to the kitchen to prepare a Spanish style breakfast for his guests. Hopefully they would emerge from the shower before lunch time.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Cutler stared at the orange skinned woman, slack jawed. After what felt like an eternity he regained his compose and spoke.

"That wasn't part of the deal." He protested.

Blackfire strolled up to one of the Lightning Troopers and with superhuman speed snatched his rifle. She then effortlessly bent its titanium alloy barrel as if it were made of clay and handed itback to the dumbfounded guard. She turned to Cutler and grinned.

"I'm changing the deal."

Cutler glared at the woman.

"How are you changing it? The deal was you would give us access to your technology and I would give you Guam. That is an overly generous deal … we're giving you a foothold on Earth. What more could you possibly want?"

Blackfire approached the President and caressed his chin.

"Don't worry Cutler; I don't want your body. It would only be a marriage of convenience; I know you don't like women." She snickered.

"So … what do you want … Princess." He hissed, his secret exposed.

She smiled sweetly at him.

"You will marry me and declare me to be your co-President."

Cutler nearly exploded.

"Absolutely not!"

"That's a shame. Now I'll have to go to the Chinese. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to have our weaponry at their disposal."

"You can't be serious!" He seethed.

Blackfire gestured at her entourage as she headed back towards the jet way, indicating that they should prepare to leave.

"I'm always serious. Farewell, President Adam Cutler. Say hello to my sister, maybe she'll help you fight the Chinese army, although I doubt it."

Just as Blackfire entered the jet way Cutler lost his nerve.

"Wait!"

She turned around.

"Yes?" She purred.

"How about if I name you as my vice president?"

"Only if you promise to deliver Starfire's head on a platter to me."

"Consider it done."

Blackfire grinned and sauntered back to Cutler, hooking her arm into his. He led her to a walkway.

"Tell me my dear, have you ever been married before?" He asked.

"Only once, his name was Glgrdsklechhh."

"That's an unusual name. So this husband of yours, he won't become jealous when we are married."

"He's … no longer with us." She replied. "His spaceship lost control and crashed. It was very unfortunate and tragic."

"I'm sure it was." He replied as they boarded a limo that was waiting for them.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Starfire's examination went well. The doctor prescribed some nutritional supplements and predicted she would be throwing star bolts in just a few more days. She also suggested that Starfire do some sunbathing in the Watchtowers observation dome with the UV protection disabled, and that the more skin she exposed to the sun's rays, the better and that full exposure would be ideal. She also reminded her to lock the door to the dome if she chose to disrobe completely.

The three Titans were now in a conference room watching the TV news footage that showed Beast Boy and Raven helping after the air raid on Vancouver.

"So that's where they went." Robin announced morosely.

"We did investigate." Mr. Terrific replied. "Raven owns an apartment in Vancouver, under the name of Rachael Roth …"

"Roth was her mother's last name." Robin volunteered.

"Yes, Arella Roth … anyway, by the time we sent the Question to investigate, they were gone."

"The Question? You sent that kook to look for them?" Cyborg complained.

"We were hoping that he might find a clue as to where they went … he didn't … they left the apartment immaculately clean."

"Clean? Since when does the grass stain leave anything clean?" Cyborg joked.

"Not now, Cyborg." Robin chastised him. "So what happened in Vancouver, why was there an airstrike?"

"There was an attack on various US Naval installations, almost 100 vessels were destroyed. The Americans decided that retaliation was in order, even if it was against an innocent party."

Mr. Terrific paused.

"Those attacks were coordinated by Batman and Slade Wilson."

"Slade?" The three Titans shrieked in unison.

"Batman is working with Slade?" Robin gasped.

"I'm afraid so, but there's more."

He pressed a button on a remote control and a new image appeared on the screen. It showed two individuals wearing balaclavas inside a sub, placing bombs.

"This was caught on a security camera inside of submarine in Jump City Naval Station, which the Question was able to procure."

He pressed another button. The image zoomed in on one of the bomb placers. While the balaclava hid his face it did not conceal the outline of his left ear, a pointed ear.

"Beast Boy?" Cyborg shouted.

"Yes, we think it was them."

"That doesn't make sense. They wouldn't work for Slade, no matter what the cause, they just wouldn't. And sabotage? It couldn't be them." Robin interjected.

"There's more. Several sailors died when those bombs went off."

Cyborg stood up and slammed his fist on the table, leaving and indentation where it hit.

"Then it can't be them!"

"From what our intelligence gathered, the deaths were accidental as some sailors unexpectedly boarded the subs … their deaths were not intended."

Robin leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms while he frowned.

"It couldn't have been them … no way."

Mr. Terrific shut down the monitor.

"That's all we have for now. We're going to issue a press release that you're with us. Maybe they'll see it and contact the League. I'm afraid that's all we can do for now … you must be tired, the Watchtower runs on European time, but you're on Pacific time. We have some rooms for you, I'll take you there myself."

They exited the conference room. The lights in the hallway were brightly lit, corresponding with the morning that was present down below on the European continent. After a long walk and an elevator ride they stopped in front of a door.

"This is the Princess' room … and I suppose that it's also yours, Robin. I know I forgot to mention it … congratulations."

"Thanks." The Grayson's replied as the door slid open.

Starfire moved to enter the room, but Robin grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Hang on Star, there's a tradition at stake here."

The Princess clapped her hands.

"Oh yes! The crossing of the threshold!"

Starfire scooped Robin up, and carrying him bridal style, and she crossed the threshold. Robin looked mortified and his face was blushing a deep red. Mercifully the door slid shut behind them, and as soon as it did Cyborg and Mister Terrific burst out laughing.

"I wish we caught that on camera!" Mr. Terrific guffawed.

"I did get it. One of my eyes is cybernetic." Cyborg replied. "It's going on youtube."

_**-( scene break )-**_

"Good Morning, Miss Raven and Master Garfield. You slept well, I trust. Please have a seat; I will prepare your breakfast in just a moment."

"Thank you Alfred." Raven replied. "We also have a favor to ask."

"A favor? I suppose I could assist you. What sort of favor do you need?"

"We need you to come with us to city hall." Beast Boy replied.

"City hall? Master Bruce did suggest that you not leave the house, not even when disguised. May I ask why you need to visit the Ayuntamiento building?"

"Garfield and I wish to be married."

Alfred 's face lost all expression and his jaw slightly trembled.

"Married? Have the two of you lost your collective minds? Miss Raven, this is most unexpected of you! How old are you? 18?"

"Dude, we're almost 20."

"You're still far too young."

"But Alfred …" Raven protested.

"Absolutely not! I will not be part of this! I know I can't stop you, but I will certainly not help you!"

"Oh, come on Alfred, we are old enough and mature enough too." The changeling protested. "You have to help us, we need a witness."

Alfred harrumphed.

"Out of the question. This is not something for which I will be responsible. You are still far too young to make such a mistake, and I will not enable it. It's bad enough that you are already sleeping with each other ..."

"What!" Raven shrieked. "Have you been spying on us?"

"I would hardly call it spying …"

Alfred's Batwave began to trill. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message on the display.

"There is news regarding your friends. Follow me."

Alfred led them to a sitting room, where a large flat panel TV sat. He picked up a clicker and turned it on. It was preset to one of the BBC channels. As it came to life a video of Starfire, Robin and Cyborg in the Watchtower was displayed, while a narrator read from a script.

" … _the three Titans were located by the Justice League and are now in orbit, residing in the Watchtower. American President Adam Cutler has demanded that the Justice League turn them over to American authorities, a request that the Justice League is not acknowledging. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the other two Titans, the sorceress known as Raven and the changeling known as Beast Boy, remain unknown …"_

"Dudes! They're OK!" Beast Boy crowed jubilantly.

Raven was unable to suppress a smile. Alfred could read her body language and tell that she was feeling relieved. The majordomo also flashed a happy smile, that is until he saw Beast Boy pull a ring out of his utility belt, a ring that he recognized. The changeling waved the ring at his sweetheart.

"Rave, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Raven pulled her Justice League ring out of her own jeweled belt and slipped it onto her finger.

"Of course I am."

"Wait, Master Bruce said that you are to …"

The two Titans activated their rings and began to shimmer until they disappeared.

"… stay here … oh bother … why are young people so impetuous these days?"

_**-( scene break )-**_


	19. On Top of the World

As soon as the sliding door slammed shut Robin tapped Starfire on the shoulder.

"Uh, Star …"

"Yes, husband? You desire to begin the honeymoon?"

"Uh … yeah … but before we do that … I was supposed to carry you in."

The Princess blushed.

"Forgive me … I was … doing the getting carried away again?"

Robin laughed.

"You could put it that way … and speaking of being carried away, you can put me down now."

Starfire now looked mortified.

"I have embarrassed you in front of Cyborg and Mr. Terrific … why is he called that? … he does not come across as being 'terrific' to me."

"I have no idea why he's called Mr. Terrific."

She tapped her fingers together, still looking apologetic.

"We can exit the room and you can carry me in this time."

Robin dismissed her offer with a hand gesture.

"It's OK Star; actually, it was kind of funny."

She shook her head.

"No we must do it the correct way."

"Star, it's no big deal. Plus I'm sure that Cyborg recorded it and is going to upload it to some website."

Starfire's eyes glowed in anger.

"He will not! I forbid it!"

"It's no big deal, Star."

The Tamaranian would have none of it. With a pincer like grip she grabbed Robin's wrist and dragged him to the door.

"Star, you're just gonna make it worse!"

As the door slid open Cyborg was still standing in front of it.

"Friend Cyborg! You will give me the recording you made!"

The Tin Man grinned at Robin.

"I see you already explained to her what she did wrong."

He turned back to the princess and handed her an SD memory card.

"I'm a step ahead of you little lady. And I swear by my Grandma's peach cobbler that there are no other copies."

Starfire closed her fist, pulverizing the memory card, and dropping its powdery remains on the floor.

"Is it true you were going to post it on the internet? Cyborg, I thought you were my friend."

He raised his hands in an apologetic gesture.

"OK, I'll admit I was tempted for a moment, but you know I'd never do that to you."

The princess crossed her arms and gave him one of her high pitched harrumphs.

"Look, Star, I'm sorry … look … I've got a peace offering for you."

The tin man stepped aside, revealing The Chromatically Challenged Couple™. Starfire's eyes became heart shaped and she squealed in delight.

"Friends! You have been found! And you are safe!"

Raven and Beast Boy flinched as they braced themselves for one of the Tamaranian's famous bone crushing hugs. It proved unnecessary as Starfire first gently wrapped her arms around Raven and began to weep.

"Oh, dearest friend Raven! I was afraid I would never see you again!"

She turned to the changeling and kissed him repeatedly on the cheek. Raven crossed her arms and gave them a mild glare.

"Are you done kissing my boyfriend?" She asked with a smirk.

The princess released the changeling and resumed squealing with delight.

"That is glorious! When will you wed? Robin and I were married just a few hours ago."

"You were what?" They asked in unison.

Robin approached Raven and they exchanged a quick hug, after which he shook the changeling's hand and invited everyone into their room. He then proceeded to explain everything that happened after they departed, up to the wedding in the jungle and their rescue by the Justice League.

"You've been busy." Raven remarked.

"And so have you." Cyborg guffawed. "Are you and the grass stain really together, or are you just yanking our chain? I mean, we've only been separated a few weeks."

"Dude, we are so definitely a couple."

"Well, you'd better behave yourself, green bean. I don't want you messin' around with my little sister, not until you put a ring on her finger."

Robin cleared his throat.

"Not that I want to change the subject, but there is something I have to ask."

The room suddenly turned very quiet.

"Rumor has it that you joined Slade's resistance group."

"It's not just his group."

"Really? So who else is in it? The Joker? Brother Blood?"

"Actually, Batman, Mento and Captain Marvel are members."

Robin looked taken aback.

"What? That's impossible! Batman would never team up with Slade!"

"Or Lex Luthor or Dr. Sivana, and yet, he did." Raven replied.

Once again the room fell silent.

"I have another question." Robin asked.

Raven decided to preempt him.

"Yes, Gar and I blew up the subs in Jump City. Batman placed us on leave because there were casualties."

Robin rubbed his forehead.

"Raven, Beast Boy, those people that died, they used to be the people we protected."

"We know, dude. You think we're happy about that? It wasn't supposed to happen that way."

"Robin, this is not a good time for you to get obsessive with us." Raven complained. "Can't you be just be happy that we're together again?"

"I'm sorry, Raven, but you were still teamed up with Slade."

"And so were you, when you rescued me from Trigon's pit."

"That was different."

"How so?"

"I did it to save you."

"And we're doing it to save the world from Cutler. But it's over, we were put on leave by Batman. I doubt he trusts us anymore … Robin … do you trust us? Do you trust me?"

Robin nodded his head.

"Sorry. You're right, Raven … so what do we do now?"

"Perhaps we should do nothing … for now. For one thing, Starfire needs to recover from her injuries. And the two of you are overdue for a honeymoon, even if it is in the Watchtower. And before I forget, congratulations, as Cyborg would say … it's about time." Raven replied.

Raven's felicitations were interrupted by a loud rap on the door. Robin pressed the large open button next to the door which opened it, revealing the Martian Manhunter.

"I have news from Earth." He announced in his deadpan. "The Tamaranian delegation has arrived in Washington."

"Wasn't that expected?" Cyborg interrupted.

"It's headed by Princess Blackfire."

"My sister? What is she doing here, representing Tamaran? I banished her!"

"Looks like Galfore changed his mind." Raven droned.

"There's more." The Martian interrupted.

"More?" Robin moaned. "What more could there possibly be? Is she taking over the United States?"

"You aren't far off the mark. The American government just stated that President Cutler has announced that he will be marrying Princess Blackfire tomorrow and she will be appointed as the Vice President."

"You have got to be kidding!" Starfire shrieked. "My sister will marry that horrible man and have his offspring?"

"The likelihood of offspring is negligible." The Martian interrupted. "The marriage is ceremonial only, for purposes of sealing the treaty. According to our file Cutler has a secret lover and he is not interested in sharing Cutler with anyone."

"Whoa, dude, you mean Cutler swings that way? I thought he campaigned against, you know, that."

"Politicians seldom practice what they preach." Raven interjected. "But Blackfire as Vice President? If I was Cutler I would sleep with one eye open, he has no idea what he's getting himself into."

Robin groaned.

"So much for the honeymoon. Titans, we have work to do."

The Martian raised his hand.

"The Justice League will handle this matter. The Titans need to rest and recover. When you are ready you may assist us."

Without saying another word the Martian left the Titans, and the door slid shut behind him unceremoniously.

"'You may assist us?' What do they think we are? Their sidekicks?" Cyborg grumbled.

"Now you know why I left Batman … and there's something I never told you guys. Before we built the Tower they invited me to join their junior league, Young Justice. I turned them down flat."

"You mean you never asked us?" Raven growled.

"Other than me, only Beast Boy was invited to join."

"And without you guys there was no way I was joining Young Justice." The changeling chimed in.

Cyborg was livid.

"Let me get this straight, Star, Raven and I weren't good enough, but you and the grass stain were?"

"We both had prior formal superhero training." Robin calmly remarked.

"Big fat hairy deal! We kicked the Gordanians' butt, in case they didn't notice."

"Cyborg, I agree. There was no way Beast Boy and I were going to leave you guys behind, and besides, we already were a team, a damn good one too."

"So what are we going to do?" Raven asked.

"We're gonna rest and recover, and when WE feel we're ready we'll confront President Cutler, on our own terms."

"Titans Together!" Beast Boy shouted, pumping his arm in the air.

"TITANS TOGETHER!" His teammates rejoined.

"Ok, so now what do we do?" Beast Boy asked.

"How about we give the newlyweds some privacy?" Raven suggested.

Beast Boy wagged his eyebrows at Raven and earned himself a sharp elbow in the ribs for his impertinence. Starfire giggled and Robin blushed.

"OK. Y'all I'm turning in."

"It's still morning for us, and we haven't had anything to eat yet …" Beast Boy began.

"Cafeteria is on level 7." He yawned. "You already know where your rooms are. See you in the morning."

The door to Graysons room slid shut and Garfield was sporting a big goofy grin as he did a double take back at the door. They headed for the elevator and once inside Raven pressed the button with the number seven on it. As soon as the elevator began to move she turned to her boyfriend.

"Gar, I don't want them to know."

"Huh? … What? … Oh, yeah, that. Don't worry, my lips are sealed. But … Alfred already knows."

"And I trust him to be discreet about that … Gar … last night … I can't emphasize this enough … it was … very special for me, but it's also very private … do you understand?"

He nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, I do. I mean, it was a big deal for me too. It's not something I would tell chrome dome about."

The elevator became silent as it continued to rise to level 7.

"We … we should sleep each in our own rooms …"

His ears drooped.

"… for now."

"Sure Rave, I understand."

"Gar, you do know just how much I love you?"

"Yeah, I do. It's OK, Rave."

"And I think we should wait a bit before we get married."

"How long?"

"I'm not sure, Gar. I think we'll know when the time is right. I'm sorry about agreeing earlier today to go down with you to city hall. I allowed my selfishness to get the best of me; I allowed Lust too much sway over my decision making. And besides, this is Robin and Starfire's moment, we shouldn't steal their thunder."

While he nodded his understanding, she could sense his disappointment.

"Gar, it will be worth waiting for, I promise."

The elevator doors opened and they walked into the dining hall.

"Hungry?" She asked him.

He smiled one of his winning smiles

"Always."

They proceeded straight to the cafeteria line after each grabbing a tray. The dining hall had huge windows which provided a spectacular view of the Earth below. The space station's orbit was passing directly over Japan, which shimmered like a jewel; its billions of lights shining in the night below. The changeling stared mesmerized at the sight, as the lights formed a near perfect outline of the island of Honshu, with large clusters of lights highlighting the major cities.

"Hey! You're Beast Boy!"

The changeling turned around and found himself facing two lovely young ladies. Both wore blue costumes. One also wore a mask and had a large white star on her shapely chest. The other girl had the world famous Kryptonian "S" on her chest. Both were beaming at the changeling.

"You're Stargirl and Supergirl! This is awesome! I've always wanted to meet you guys!"

Raven turned around and frowned. Blondes, why did it always have to be the blonds?

"Hey, I've been wanting to meet you for a long time, cutie." Stargirl giggled. "Why don't come and have breakfast with me?"

"I saw him first, Courtney. He should have breakfast with me." Supergirl interjected

"Yeah Kara, but that's because you used your super vision, which is totally unfair."

They both turned to the changeling.

"So, who will it be, green and handsome?" Supergirl asked. "Of course, I already know that you'll pick me."

Raven cleared her throat rather loudly. The two women suddenly noticed her.

"I know who you are, you're the Witch." Stargirl announced.

Raven frowned. Beast Boy began to panic, and quickly intervened as he began to sweatdrop.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Raven … and she's not a witch."

"She looks like one." Supergirl giggled. "So if she's not a witch, what is she?"

Raven grinned slyly as she answered the Kryptonian's rude question.

"I'm his fiancée, so … back off … super bimbo." Raven replied with her trademark four eyed glare.

Both blonds flinched at the sight before them. Stargirl then turned towards the changeling.

"She's kidding, right?"

Beast Boy wrapped an arm around the four eyed demoness' shoulder and pulled her tightly against him. Raven grinned happily, exposing her now razor sharp and serrated teeth.

"Rave's my girl." He announced proudly. "Do you ladies have a problem with that?"

"I think I lost my appetite." Stargirl whimpered.

"Me too, let's go to the snack bar on level 12." The Kryptonian added as they left hastily.

Once they were gone Raven relaxed and resumed her normal form. Beast Boy began to laugh.

"Did you see their faces! I should have become the Beast, it would've been perfect."

Raven chuckled.

"But you have a reputation to keep, 'cutie'."

"Oh, I think that's gone down the drain."

"Because you're engaged to a witch?"

He smiled at her.

"Who's smart, loving, faithful and before I forget to mention it … is a total bucket of hotness."

"When did you learn to be so smooth?" She taunted him.

He grinned at her.

"I've been practicing."

She elbowed him and gestured at the cafeteria line.

"I'm still hungry, Romeo. Are you just gonna stand there and talk, or are you going to feed me?"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Robin stared at the door, waiting for the next interruption. He was sorely tempted to tape a "do not disturb" sign to the door, but decided against that as it would only draw attention to their room when all he desired was a modicum of privacy and anonymity. He knew of course that any hope of seclusion was out the window as the entire space station was abuzz with the gossip of the young newlyweds that were on board. He didn't understand why, as there were more than a few couples that served in the League: Vixen and the Green Lantern, Black Canary and The Green Arrow were a few who came to mind.

The room was silent and he turned towards his still brand new wife. Starfire, Princess of Tamaran, was resting on her stomach on the bed, humming happily while reading a piece of paper. Robin sat down next to her and looked over her shoulder. She was reading their marriage certificate, which was written in Portuguese. By the way she handled it he could tell that it was perhaps now her most treasured possession.

It was then that it all finally sank in. He, Richard Grayson, born a circus brat, was married to a knock out goddess princess from the stars. He also realized that he felt unworthy of her. He was a commoner. He was still an heir to the Wayne family fortune as Bruce never cut him out of the will, but as far as he was concerned that wasn't his money. In fact, the only money he had was a small trust fund that the circus set up for him with the proceeds from an insurance policy his parents had. Bruce managed it over the years and it was now worth a couple million dollars. Bruce even had the foresight to move the trust fund out of the country so he still had access to it. But two million dollars were next to nothing compared to the wealth Starfire possessed on Tamaran. In fact, he learned after her aborted marriage to the green ooze monster that she was wealthier than anyone on Earth, even dwarfing the Wayne and Dayton family wealth combined. Yet, even though she was royalty and wealthy beyond imagination, the princess never put on airs.

And she deemed a mere acrobat to be worthy of being her consort. Simply unbelievable.

She looked up from the certificate and smiled at him. She couldn't read or speak Portuguese, not that it mattered. She did understand the title at the top of the page: "Certificado de Casamento" and that was all she needed to know.

He took her hand and smiled at her. She sat up and drew him into a hug.

"I am ready, my beloved."

Robin gulped.

"So am I, Star."

He reached over and turned off the lights.

_**-( scene break )-**_

OK, I have to apologize. This chapter was a great big heap of fluff. But do not worry; we will get back to Cutler and his cloak and dagger "marriage" to Blackfire. After that, things will get interesting.


	20. A Walk In The Clouds

_Two weeks later -_

The sun was shining brightly. From the vantage point of the Watchtower, in high orbit over the Earth it looked white and not yellow as there was no appreciable atmosphere to filter its powerful rays.

Starfire's recovery had progressed to where she was now able to fully recharge her "batteries", which she was doing in the observation dome at the top of the orbiting space station. The dome had its own radiation filtration turned off, as radiation was not harmful to the alien princess and was in fact beneficial to her as she could store and metabolize it much as humans could metabolize sugar and turn it into fat. Fortunately for her, Tamaranian physiology did not store excess energy in fat cells as did humans, but rather it was converted into certain heavy metals such as cesium, which her body could quickly metabolize back into pure energy to use for flight or star bolts.

The only way for Tamaranians to collect this energy was to absorb it through their skin. And lying naked in the Sun's unadulterated emissions was the easiest way to do it. Starfire had reserved the observation dome for the past week so that she could bask in Sol's radiant glory, at least when the Watchtower was on the sunny side of its orbit around Earth.

Starfire would lock the access door before sunbathing, not only to protect humans from exposure to potentially lethal levels of radiation, but to protect them from accidentally seeing her in the buff.

The princess never understood human prudishness. In her culture the body was considered a thing of beauty and as far as she could tell, at least from Earthly artwork, humans believed the same. Yet humans, in general, had a taboo against public nudity. This confused her to no end.

She recalled her first unfortunate encounter with this taboo.

It occurred shortly after they had all moved into the Tower. The air conditioning system had yet to be installed and a heat wave fell upon the city. Since local criminals had been absent that day, no doubt avoiding the heat as well, Robin suggested they spend the day cooling off at the small beach on the newly named Titans Island.

It began as a happy affair. Cyborg set up a charcoal grill, Raven (grudgingly) set up the beach umbrellas, Beast Boy took care of snacks and drinks while Robin and Starfire set up a beach volleyball court. The boys were attired in the splashy colored swimming trunks while Raven simply wore her leotard. Starfire had forgotten to change and was wearing her Titans costume.

Once everything was set up Beast Boy took off for the water.

"Last one in's a rotten egg." He shouted.

"No fair, you got a head start!" Robin shouted as he and Cyborg took off running as well.

Raven was seated under an umbrella, wearing sunglasses while she read a book. Starfire was standing next to her with a silly grin on her face.

"Raven! We must join the boys! The water looks delightful!"

"I'll pass." She replied without looking up from her book. "You go ahead Starfire, knock yourself out."

"As you wish." The Tamaranian replied as she began to disrobe.

Raven didn't look up until she heard Starfire begin to run to the water, giggling happily. That was when her eyes bugged out.

"STARFIRE!" She screeched at the top of her lungs.

It was too late. Starfire was now frolicking in the cool bay water, buck naked, while the three boys stood staring at her, slack jawed while she pranced in their midst.

"It is so refreshing." She laughed happily.

The next thing she knew she was encased in Raven's dark energy and was whisked away into the Tower, and when she later reappeared she was wearing one of Raven's leotards, which didn't fit her quite right.

Raven had tried to explain to her why being naked around the boys was inappropriate, but the explanation made no sense to her and the sorceress soon became flustered and handed Starfire one of her leotards when she found out that she didn't have any beachwear of her own, curtly telling her "wear this".

Starfire stretched out in her observation dome recliner, soaking the Sun's rays along with the beta and gamma radiation that was present. To this day Raven's explanation made no sense, especially considering that when Beast Boy took on any of his animal forms that he was essentially naked, yet no one seemed to feel uncomfortable about that, not even prudish Raven.

She sighed happily as she absorbed the cosmic energy. Her bliss was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

"Star, it's me."

The princess rose and put on a bathrobe. She turned on the radiation filtration and opened the door, revealing her husband's figure.

"It's time." He announced.

"I will get ready."

Robin turned away as she removed her robe and began to dress. She sighed in exasperation; some aspects about humans were simply beyond comprehension.

"I am your wife, you may look at me, husband. Are you not allowed to see my body?"

"It isn't polite to gawk." He stammered.

"When this is over, we will have our honeymoon on Rigel 7." She commanded.

She had mentioned that world before. He looked it up on the Justice League database. It was a humanoid vacation world … a nudist humanoid vacation world.

"So, are you completely recharged?" He changed the subject.

"I am." She replied as she slipped on her boots.

"Let's go, it's about to start."

_**-( scene break )-**_

"What the hell is going on, Adam?"

Cutler adjusted the cummerbund on his tuxedo, before replying to his lover.

"You know very well what's going on, Stan. I'm getting a treaty signed."

"You mean you're marrying that whore!"

Stan Davidson was officially one of Cutler's bodyguards, a high ranking member of the Patriot Party's Lightning Troopers. It was of course a sham. Davidson was not a body guard, he was unfit and untrained. Cutler's core of inner guards, his personal guard force, knew his secret and were tight lipped about it.

"Stan, you know as well as I do that with Tamaranian weaponry we can conquer the whole world."

"Yeah, but what about Blackfire?"

"What about her? She wants a bigger cut than before. So we give it to her. Once we're ready we'll wipe them out and take back what we gave her."

Davidson crossed his arms and paced around Cutler's room.

"I don't like this Adam. She's going to drive a wedge between us, I can tell. She isn't going to share you with me."

Cutler snorted. He met Davidson when they were undergrads, roommates at a small fundamentalist university in Oklahoma. Both their parents had sent them there in hopes that they would finally meet that someone special. Little did they know that they both did, just not in the way they had hoped.

"Will you stop worrying? She knows where we stand and has already told me that she isn't interested in me that way. And besides, why would I like her, even if I was straight? She's a creepy orange alien with glowing eyes who doesn't like humans."

There was a loud rap on the door.

"_Mr. President, it's time."_

"Relax, Stan, I'll be back in three days and everything will be back to normal. You'll never even have to see her, I promise."

Cutler gave himself one last look over in full length mirror before he left the room. The wedding was being held in the White House, which at that moment was perhaps the most secure site in the whole nation. It also meant that it was crawling with cameras, reporters and celebrities, at least in the areas where Cutler would be, which meant that Davidson would have to stay in the room and watch it all on TV, if he could stomach that. He turned off the lights as he preferred to sulk in the darkness as he continued to pace unhappily around the room.

With no warning one of the room's windows burst open. He saw a pair of green eyes, glowing in the dark. The eyes' owner emerged from the shadows. It was a Tamaranian warrior who looked at least 7 feet tall and was bristling with muscles. Davidson instinctively stepped away from the alien, who followed him until he was cornered.

"Don't bother to shout. No one will hear you."

"What do you want?" Davidson stammered.

"This isn't personal, little man, but the Princess believes that you are a threat."

Davidson screamed for help at the top of his lungs, but as the intruder predicted, no one heard his cry. The warrior pounced on him, placing Davidson into a headlock before snapping his neck, killing him instantly. He threw Davidson's corpse over his shoulder and flew out the window, his mission accomplished.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The five Titans congregated in Raven's room, which happened to be the largest one they had and also happened to have a TV. Raven and the Changeling were sitting on the bed, with several pillows propping up their backs. Cyborg was already there, sitting on a reclined. Robin and Starfire sat down on a small loveseat in the room. The TV was already on and a young pair of reporters was covering the arrival of celebrities at the White House.

"_Tonight we have a veritable 'A' list of Celebrities, Jill. Hollywood heavies, sport superstars, billionaires, you name it."_

"_That's right Phil, and right here with me I have the new superstar sensation, start of the new hit sitcom "Ain't That Toni?" none other than Toni Mendoza … Toni … glad you could make it!"_

The young female star beamed happily.

"_I wouldn't have missed this for the world, Jill! Adam Cutler's always been a hero of mine and now he's marrying a sexy princess from the stars! I have to say I'm really jealous of Princess Blackfire, she bagged herself a real hottie!"_

"Does someone have a barf bag? I think I'm gonna hurl" Raven complained.

"_That's right Toni, our beloved leader and savior of the American Way of Life, President Adam Cutler broke more than a few hearts when he announced his engagement to Princess Blackfire of Tamaran, but really who could blame him. I mean she is such a babe! Phil, can you tell our viewers more about the mysterious Princess Blackfire?"_

A slideshow of images of Blackfire appeared on the screen.

"_I sure can, Jill … In this first picture ever taken of the Princess we see her with the Teen Titans, including her treacherous sister the red headed Starfire. It was not long after this picture was taken that Princess Starfire, Blackfire's younger and always envious sister, framed Blackfire, with help from her teammates, for stealing some gems from the Centaurian moons, which had actually been stolen by the Teen Titans. Blackfire was falsely arrested and imprisoned for a crime she did not commit."_

The next picture showed Blackfire dressed as the Grand Ruler of Tamaran.

"_We've all heard the saying, Jill, that you can't keep a good woman down, and that includes brave and bold Princess Blackfire who escaped from the Centaurian prison and returned to Tamaran, where she rightfully claimed her place as Empress and during her brief reign Tamaran enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity, that is until the Teen Titans once again intervened."_

"LIES! THOSE ARE ALL LIES!" Starfire shrieked.

The next picture showed a battered and defeated Blackfire crumpled at Starfire's feet, while the red head placed the M shaped crown on her head.

"_In what was clearly an illegal move, Starfire overthrew Blackfire, the legitimate ruler of Tamaran using brute force, after which she installed a commoner named Galfore, who is said to be her former lover, as her puppet so she could rule Tamaran from Earth, where she indulged in a life of debauchery in the now destroyed Titans Tower, where she engaged in serial love affairs with Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg … and … its rumored that she also had an ongoing romance with the dark sorceress known as Raven."_

Starfire screamed and launched a star bolt at the screen, which only survived thanks to Raven's quick intervention as she shielded the TV with her dark energy.

"Would you please stop that?" Raven droned as she dropped her shield. "Of course they're lies; these people are Cutler's stooges, what do you expect?"

The reporters continued prattling.

"_Starfire the usurper banished Blackfire from Tamaran and it wasn't until she lost her grip on Galfore that heroic Princess Blackfire was able to return to Tamaran and be reinstated as a Royal Princess. Now, after Galfore sent the Princess as his goodwill Ambassador to Earth, she and President Cutler fell in love and shared a fairytale romance and now we find ourselves here today at the wedding of the century."_

"Ok, now I need a barf bag too." Cyborg moaned.

The screen switched back to the reporters, who continued to grin smiles that would have made the Joker proud.

"_You know, Jill, this is without a doubt the must see event of the century. There were over 1000 requests for every seat available at this event, but our viewers need not worry, with the American Broadcast Network you have the best seats in the house."_

"_That's right Phil, the ABN, America's most watched network, has full coverage of this event, right up to the newlyweds' departure on the presidential yacht. And speaking of which, the wedding ceremony is about to begin…"_

The Titans watched silently as Blackfire and Cutler walked down the aisle in the improvised wedding chapel which only seated about 200 people, with overflow crowds watching from other White House rooms via closed circuit TV. The ceremony was brief and secular, conducted by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. As soon as the vows were made and the couple exchanged a very chaste and furtive kiss, Blackfire was sworn in to fill the now vacant position of vice President, which the current VP, Lamar Hinckley resigned from earlier that morning. The cameras then switched to the reception party. The newlyweds were scheduled to board the presidential yacht 2 hours later, which would take them to the American Virgin Islands where they would spend the rest of their honeymoon.

Robin shut off the TV.

"According to intel gathered by the Justice League, the presidential yacht will enter international waters around midnight. The ship is heavily armed and will be guarded by both Lightning Troopers and Blackfire's personal guard. Once they are in international waters we should be able to strike, with our objective being to capture both Cutler and Blackfire."

"Won't that be a lot to take on?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yes, which is why we're bringing someone to help."

"You mean the Justice League is actually gonna help us with this one?" Raven asked.

Robin chuckled.

"No, in fact they don't know about our plan at all, which is fine as they remain officially neutral in dealing with Cutler. I … got the intel from them when they weren't looking. They don't have a clue of what we have planned."

"So who's helping us, Slade?" Cyborg asked.

"No, someone else. He packs a wallop, so he should be able to take on the Tamaranian guards. We leave for the Bahamas in one hour; from there we'll intercept the yacht. The element of surprise is paramount for us to succeed."

He paused as he looked at his teammates, sizing them up. He could tell from the gleams in their eyes that they were ready for some payback against the American tyrant.

"So, are we ready?"

Raven and Beast Boy nodded. Cyborg gave a thumbs up. Starfire turned to her mate and nodded her readiness. Robin grinned.

"I've been dying to say this for months … Titans, Go!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Cutler had barricaded himself in the stateroom on the yacht for hours. The farce was scheduled to last 3 whole days. It didn't mean that he had to be with her the whole time. She had her own room both in the yacht and in the mansion they would be staying at on St. Thomas. The only thing on his mind was the promised technology, for which Blackfire had delivered the blueprints directly to him, which he was currently studying in his state room, that is until he was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. With a cross expression on his face he looked up from the blueprints.

"I'm busy, leave me alone!" He barked at the door.

"It's me, hubby, your brand new wifey!"

"Go away Blackfire, you have your own room! And don't bother me again."

"But we haven't consummated our marriage." She replied in a cutesy voice.

"That wasn't part of the deal, now go away. I'm certain that one of your guards would be more than happy to service you, if all you want is a roll in the hay!"

The stateroom door came crashing down, smashed into splinters.

"Blackfire, what is the meaning of this?"

Blackfire approached Cutler and grabbing him from the neck of his business suit coat he lifted him from his desk.

"You and I are going for a stroll … hubby."

Blackfire shot a purple star bolt at the starboard wall in the room and with Cutler in tow she flew out the hole it left in its wake. She then lifted off into the nighttime sky. As Cutler looked down he could see the Tamaranian guards throwing the corpses of the ship's crew into the ocean.

"What's going on here?" He snarled at her.

The continued to gain altitude and the yacht below became smaller and smaller.

"Our fairytale marriage is going to end unexpectedly, dear husband."

"What are you talking about? This is treason! You'll never get away with this!"

"Oh, you see … I will … when I return to Washington I'll tell everyone how we were attacked by the Teen Titans and that they killed everyone … except for little old me … because you fought so bravely to protect me, giving your own life so I could escape. I'm sure they'll make a movie about it. And after I 'recover' from my tragic loss and the nation finishes mourning your death …"

She paused and grinned maliciously.

"I'll be sworn in as the new President."

By this point they were at a very high altitude. Cutler began to shiver and gasp for air.

"We should be at around 30,000 feet high, six miles above the ocean below. It should be about 40 degrees below zero. Not ideal conditions for a human, but just fine for a Tamaranian. Are you cold, hubby?"

Cutler was now shivering violently and barely managed to nod.

"Would you like to go back down where it's warmer?"

Again, he nodded, unable to speak as his teeth were chattering.

"OK."

Blackfire released Cutler, who went into a free fall, dropping like a meteor to a watery death in the ocean below.

_**-( scene break )-**_

Looks like the Titans are too late, Blackfire beat them to the punch.

Now what will they do?

Also, I know Starfire seemed a bit out of character sunbathing in the buff, but she actually does that in the comics.

Here is a link (removes spaces)

www. comic-images details. php ? image_id = 48849

As for Blackfire becoming VP, then President while she wasn't American, let's just say that Cutler "made it legal"


	21. The Boy and the Wizard

The stars were twinkling in the crystal clear sky. A single cruise ship was docked in the Nassau harbor, its crew busy preparing it for a midnight departure as stevedores were busy loading last minute supplies and all were busy rushing as they already behind schedule, which is why no one noticed the strange anomaly that appeared in the adjacent dock: a giant spectral black bird that with an eerie hum swooped out of the sky and landed. As it slowly vanished, a small hooded figure wearing a cape emerged from its center. She raised her arms, parting her cape, which revealed another dark void, from which 4 other figures emerged. Her eyes glowed white until they were all out, after which she dropped her arms and her orbs returned to their normal indigo coloration.

"Welcome to Nassau." Cyborg announced after checking the GPS reader built into his arm. "Cutler's yacht should be about 60 miles west from here right now."

Robin looked around, as if searching for something that was missing.

"Where is he?" He wondered out loud to himself. "He said he'd be here."

Just as Robin pulled out his communicator a small boy, who looked no older than 10 years of age, emerged from behind a large cargo ship container.

"Sorry kid, but you're gonna have to leave, we're superheroes, on official business, so vamoose!" Cyborg chided the youngster.

"But you're the Teen Titans, right?"

"You wish for us to give you the autographs?" Starfire giggled.

"Actually, I do, I already have a big collection, but you can give me yours later. Of course I'll give you mine."

"Sure kid, we love fanboys as much as anyone, but we're kinda busy right now." Cyborg replied as Robin gave the child a hard look. Raven and Beast Boy watched with eager looks on their faces. "We're looking for someone, another superhero; you haven't seen him have you?"

"I sure have."

Robin crossed his arms.

"Would you mind telling us where he is?"

The boy snickered.

"He's right here!"

"Here? I don't see him."

The boy grinned.

"It's me."

Cyborg and Robin began to laugh, then their demeanor became impatient.

"Yeah, right. Listen kid, I think it's time for you to leave."

"OK" He grinned again.

Raven suddenly felt her whole body begin to tingle.

"Gar, I'm beginning to feel magic … a lot of magic."

"How did you know we were coming … who sent you here?" Cyborg grilled the kid

"My boss sent me."

"And who would that be?"

The child grinned triumphantly, as if he was about to do something … naughty?

"Who else? … Shazam!"

A lightning bolt fell from the clear sky, striking the boy, after which a thunderous explosion ensued, with smoke and vapor permeating the air, making it impossible to see what happened to the boy. The thunderclap knocked all 5 Titans off of their feet. Raven landed on her posterior, still facing towards where the boy was standing.

"Rave! Are you OK?" The changeling called to her.

Raven didn't appear to hear him, and as she stared incredulously, her mouth agape, the smoke cleared, revealing Captain Marvel, who was standing in a stereotypical superhero pose, with his hands on his hips.

"I've … never felt such powerful magic … you're … you're the Wizard's champion!" She stammered.

Cyborg rubbed his head as he stood up.

"Let me get this straight … Captain Marvel's really just a kid?" Cyborg groaned.

"It doesn't take the wisdom of Solomon to know that doesn't matter. You were kids when you became the Teen Titans." Marvel remarked.

"Nuh uh, we were the Teen Titans, not the little kid Titans … does your mom know you moonlight as a superhero?" Cyborg retorted. "And who's this Wizard that Raven mentioned?"

"Never mind, we have a mission to complete." Robin interjected. "We can discuss this later."

Robin pointed towards the ocean.

"We have a dictator and a rogue princess to capture … Titans Go!"

Starfire scooped Robin in her arms and took off. Marvel lifted Cyborg under his arms and did the same while Beast Boy morphed into a Seahawk while Raven took off under her own power, all of them heading out towards where the yacht should be.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The scene that greeted the Titans was one of complete devastation. The flames were visible from several miles away and other watercraft were approaching and would be there within minutes.

The Yacht was partially capsized and the part that remained above water was roaring in flames, which the assembled heroes promptly extinguished. They alighted on the wreckage and began to search for signs of life. Marvel and Starfire explored below deck, Cyborg and Raven used their scanners and senses to search for survivors while Robin and Beast Boy visually searched the night time waters. After a mere 30 seconds the changeling made the first find.

"Over there!" He shouted just before morphing into a giant octopus and sliding into the water. He quickly reached the floating body, a woman dressed in a Lightning Trooper uniform. The name tag embroidered on her uniform identified her as W. Jackson. Starfire had already emerged from the ship's lower cabin as Raven helped Beast Boy retrieve the corpse from the ocean, using her dark energy to delicately handle it.

The woman had a gaping wound in her midsection; she had nearly been sliced in half. The heroes recoiled at the grisly scene, except for Starfire, who stoically examined the vicious wound.

"She was killed with a k'neth." She reported. After seeing her teammates blank expressions, she continued explaining. "It is a staff with a sharp blade on its end."

Robin nodded, remembering how the palace guards in Tamaran tried to use that very same weapon against him. They turned their sights back to the water, and spotted more floating corpses.

"I don't see any dead Tamaranians." Cyborg remarked in a dead monotone.

"The inner circle of Lightning Troopers are selected for their loyalty, not their fighting prowess." Captain Marvel remarked. "They never stood a chance against Blackfire's guard."

"Wisdom of Solomon?" Robin asked offhandedly.

"You could say that." Marvel replied.

"Then where is Cutler?"

Raven was flying over the water, searching for any survivors. Her brow was furrowed, and she was deep in concentration. With no warning her body jerked and her eyes bugged out. Without saying anything she shot into the dark sky.

"Rave, where are you going?" The changeling shouted, not receiving a reply.

"Beast Boy! Catch up with her and tell we have to leave before anyone else gets here, or we'll be blamed for this!"

The changeling morphed into a barn owl and took off. With his supersensitive eyes he could see Raven rapidly ascending, pulling away from him.

"_Dammit, Rave! Could you slow down? Some of us have to flap our wings to fly!"_ He grumbled in his mind as he tried in vain to catch up with her.

_**-( scene break )-**_

There was something in the sky, she could feel it, a deluge of emotions that rained down on her, saturating her with their intensity and confounding her with their complexity as they changed like a pattern in a kaleidoscope, shifting and morphing as easily as Beast Boy could switch animal forms.

She lost track of her ascent until she suddenly felt a sharp chill in the air, and only then was she aware of just how high she was, she estimated she was at least 20,000 feet above sea level. She stopped to hover and shivered as she felt the freezing cold of the gale force winds in the lower regions of the jet stream, a literal river of air in the upper atmosphere.

As she hovered she visually scanned the dark, star studded dome above her, searching for the source of the torrent of emotions. She searched for several seconds and almost missed it, a glowing purple streak that was zooming away at a vertiginous speed, easily confused with a shooting star.

It was Blackfire.

Raven frowned as she realized she could never catch up with the rogue Tamaranian princess. She then remembered her Justice League ear communicator and reached for it. Maybe Starfire or Captain Marvel would be able to catch up with Blackfire … it was worth a try.

Before Raven could touch the earpiece she felt the wave of emotions again. This time it was pure and unadulterated terror and its source was directly above her. She looked up and saw him, tumbling out of control and she was able to hear his screams as he approached.

Cutler!

The falling dictator was approaching fast and the sorceress did the only thing possible on such short notice. She raised arms and projected her soul self above her, forming a giant spectral bird above. She braced herself for Cutler's impact. He was falling at terminal velocity and she would have to allow him a chance to decelerate before bringing him to a stop, lest the sudden deceleration kill him.

As she gritted her teeth he plowed into her black raven. The shockwave from the impact resonated all the way into her body as she yielded her position and began to descend towards the ocean below. Her plan was to absorb his momentum for about 20 seconds, steadily decelerating until she could bring them both to a complete stop.

To her immediate shock she found that she couldn't slow them down and that she was now falling as quickly as Cutler. Summoning everything within her she willed herself to stop, but to no avail. As she began to panic she began to feel her soul self weaken, as if it was slowly beginning to unravel. For a split second she debated whether or not to let Cutler continue to fall while recovering herself. She quickly decided that was not an option. Unfortunately the choice appeared to be taken out of her hands as her soul self continued to weaken. To her alarm she began to feel intense pain throughout her body, and began to feel spasms in her arms. Unwilling to admit defeat she fought back, but it was futile as her soul self suddenly shattered, like a crystal goblet falling on a stone floor.

"_What's happening to me?"_

Raven felt the pain surge through her body and struggled to regain control, but it was too much. It overwhelmed her and she lost consciousness as the remaining shards of her soul self vanished like wisps of smoke, scattered to the four winds. She was now in free fall, tumbling, unconscious towards the ocean below, with a still panicking Cutler as her companion in the one way journey to their final destiny below.

_**-( scene break )-**_

It was a good thing the changeling couldn't speak while in his animal forms, otherwise he would have been cursing up a storm. Raven had vanished into the dark sky above him and she wasn't answering hails on her ear communicator. His avian heart was pounding in his chest as fatigue was setting in on him.

"_Where the hell did she go?"_

He chose a green barn owl for its superb night vision and that choice paid off as he saw her falling, tumbling and rolling as she was tangled in her own cape. He also saw Cutler, who was waving his arms and kicking his legs as he continued to scream in his own freefall.

He quickly morphed into a peregrine falcon and changed direction, now diving towards the ocean below. Raven whizzed past him but this time aerodynamics were on his side and he quickly caught up with her. As soon as he dug one of his claws into one of her arms he morphed again, this time becoming a huge pterosaur. After firmly grasping her with his now huge talons he spread his enormous green wings and their descent began to slow down. Within seconds they were no longer falling. Cutler zoomed past them, still screaming.

"_Sorry dude, if I have to pick who to save … it ain't you."_

As he watched Cutler continue to plummet towards the ocean he saw a red blur intercept him and take him to the derelict yacht below.

It was Captain Marvel.

"_Why are the bad guys always so damn lucky?"_ He cursed in his mind as he glanced at Raven, who continued to dangle from his claws, her head drooping as she remained unconscious.

As the changeling approached the destroyed boat, he saw Robin cuffing Cutler. Starfire waved at him and extended her arms, indicating that he could hand Raven to her. Hovering over the princess he flapped his huge green wings as he gently deposited his beloved in her arms, after which he morphed back into his human form as he landed, turning immediately towards Cutler, snarling at him.

"What did you do to her!" He screamed.

"Nothing." The dictator stammered. "She tried to catch me with some kind of … bird. But then all hell broke loose and …"

"LIAR!" The changeling bellowed. "Catching you should have been a piece of cake for her."

"What! Do you think I wanted to fall to my death? Why would I sabotage her? She was saving my life."

Robin raised his hand to calm the changeling.

"He's right. Now let's get back to the Watchtower … Raven needs medical attention."

The sorceress suddenly opened her eyes and glided out of the Tamaranian's arms.

"It's OK Robin, I'm fine now."

"No, you're not. Beast Boy's right, you don't black out over something like that."

"I said I'm fine."

"Yo Rob, the US Coast Guard is getting close. We need to leave … like right now." Cyborg interrupted.

Robin tapped on his earpiece.

"Watchtower, this is Robin, I have 7 to teleport."

"Robin, this is J'onn J'onzz. What are you doing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? You are supposed to be in the Watchtower."

"No time to explain. We need to get out of here now. We have one injured party member; please have the infirmary ready to see Raven when we arrive."

The tingling sensation of the teleporter appeared and within a moment they were back in the station, with a severe looking Martian Manhunter glaring at the boy wonder.

"Robin, in case you have forgotten, the Teen Titans are guests in the Watchtower and you are expected to …"

He stopped speaking when he saw the man in handcuffs.

"President Cutler, I presume?"

"Overthrown President Cutler." Robin corrected him.

"Are you saying that the Teen Titans …"

"The Teen Titans saved me, along with Captain Marvel."

He turned to Raven.

"I am in your debt."

"Don't remind me." She replied.

Cutler turned back to the Martian.

"It was Blackfire who tried to kill me."

The Martian planted his face in his palm.

"Wonderful, now the Justice League is embroiled in American affairs."

"You mean Tamaranian affairs." Raven corrected him.

The Martian looked at her.

"You are expected in the infirmary. Miss Johnson here will escort you."

"I'm perfectly fine …"

Raven saw that her four teammates along with Captain Marvel had their arms crossed and were glaring at her, especially the changeling.

"Do I have to do this?" She asked.

"Yes, Raven, and that's an order." Robin snapped at her.

Raven felt tempted to tell him to take a short walk off a tall cliff, but after seeing Gar's severe expression she acquiesced.

"Fine. I'll go."

"Good." The Martian replied. "The rest of you, and that includes you Mr. Cutler, need to come with me."

"This way, Miss Raven." The escort invited her.

Raven followed the young woman to the infirmary with a sense of dread in her stomach, but said nothing to the escort. Within a few minutes they reached the infirmary, where Miss Johnson handed her off to Dr. Andrea Molina who led her into an examination room.

"Please, Miss Raven, have a seat." She gestured at the examination table. "It says here that you blacked out during a routine mission. I've already scheduled a full battery of tests for you. I will need to take blood and urine samples from you before we begin …"

"I believe that you'll only need a urine sample." Raven interrupted.

The doctor smirked.

"And why would that be?"

Raven stood up and stared out of the small examination room window into space. She paused, as if hesitating, before replying.

"I'm three days late." She answered in her flattest monotone.

She turned to look at the doctor.

"I've never been late in my entire life, not even by a single day."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Cutler lives and Raven is … ?


	22. Summit in the Sky

The clock on the wall slowly ticked, the seconds arm lazily advancing second by second, reminding Raven of time's excruciatingly slow progress as she waited in the examination room. Wearing only her leotard and boots, she sat in the examination table, making the ubiquitous disposable paper that covered it crinkle and rustle every time she shifted her weight on it as she waited impatiently for the doctor to return.

Losing her patience she stood up and began to pace around the room. How long could a urine test take? Those over the counter kits sold in drug stores and supermarkets only took a minute or two to report their results. Raven suspected the outcome of the test. A pregnancy would explain perfectly why her soul self shattered upon duress, when she tried to save Cutler from falling to his death in the ocean. The new life growing inside her was undoubtedly drawing from Raven's soul self and would continue to do so until birth. Still, official results would end all uncertainty.

As Raven brooded impatiently the room's door slid open and the doctor returned. She was carrying a computer printout in her hand.

"Well?" The sorceress asked impatiently.

The woman handed Raven the printout. She grabbed it eagerly and her eyes quickly danced across the page, after which a frown appeared on her face.

"I take that this isn't a planned pregnancy." The physician broke the silence.

Raven stared at the printout some more, before folding it in half and looking at the doctor.

"It's theoretically impossible for me to become pregnant."

The doctor nodded her agreement.

"Yes, due to your hybrid nature. I presume that the father is a meta-human?"

Raven nodded.

"I see … the changeling … right?"

"Aren't you the smart one?" Raven replied dryly.

The doctor sighed.

"You do understand the implications … his sperm was able to morph on its own and adapt to your own hybrid genome … whoever is responsible for this could win the Nobel Prize in biology for this, it's unprecedented."

"They're both dead." Raven replied in a slightly irritated voice, referring to Beast Boy's biological parents. "Thank you for your help, doctor."

After restoring her cape around her shoulders and raising her signature hood, she turned to the door to leave.

"You do you have options, Miss Raven."

"Yes doctor, I am aware of that." She replied without turning around.

Raven's pace quickened as she left the infirmary. She now understood the aversion Garfield felt for such places. He told her once, a long time ago while they were skipping stones back home, how they always treated him like a lab specimen, something to be poked and prodded, an object for sticking needles into. How they never treated him like a person, he was merely a puzzle to them, an intellectual exercise. She had understood those words in her intellect, but now … Azar … she really was one with him. Not only was she now carrying their child in her womb, she too had joined him in the ranks of lab specimen, along with their unborn child.

Raven was walking down one of the long circular hallways that ringed the exterior of the Watchtower. As she walked down the corridor she crossed paths with other Justice League members, many of which were unknown to her. Most either gave her a friendly hand wave or a greeting like "How's it going?" or "Looking good, Raven". She didn't see their gestures and did not reply as she was lost in thought. Finally, she reached the elevator, which mercifully was empty.

"_Level, please?"_ The elevator's cybernetic voice queried her.

"Habitat." She replied.

The elevator lurched and began to move.

"Elevator, halt."

The lift complied and stopped between levels. Raven, her back leaning against one of the walls, slowly slid until she was sitting on the floor, and began to cry.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The Martian led the Titans, Capt. Marvel and Cutler into a large circular room that was in the center of the station. It was the League's inner sanctum, a superhero Camelot, complete with a round table and famous "knights" sitting around it: Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Hawk Girl, Superman and … Batman? As the Martian took his seat the 4 Titans gasped as they saw a figure emerge from the shadows and stand behind the Dark Knight.

"Slade!" Robin hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"He's here for a reason, just as Cutler is." Batman replied.

"I do not understand." Starfire interjected.

"It's actually quite simple, princess. Your sister is in the process of overthrowing the US government."

The Dark Knight addreessed Cutler.

"Our intelligence reports indicate that she is systematically wiping out all of your Lightning Troopers, and replacing them with her own Tamaranian warriors, effectively reshaping the Patriot Party in her own image."

"She'll never get away with it!" Cutler thundered.

"I am afraid that she already has." The Martian interjected. "She has already scheduled her swearing in ceremony for tomorrow afternoon. It is of course nothing more than a formality; she has already effectively seized control of the government."

"Then we have to stop her!" Cutler growled.

"We must." Batman interjected. "We have discovered a chain of teleportation relays that have been set up in space. A chain that, when completed will connect Earth with the star system Vega, which is the home system of not only Tamaran, but also of the Citadel."

"An invasion?" Robin gasped.

"Correct." Superman interjected. "The League will make sure that the final relay is not deployed. This will be seen as an act of war by Blackfire and her off world allies, which means we have to overthrow her before an all out war begins."

"I just received word that Raven is in perfect health and was discharged from the infirmary. She should join us in this meeting. Apparently, she left the infirmary, but her whereabouts are unknown. Beast Boy, would you mind finding her and bringing her here?" The Martian added.

"No problem, I'm on it."

_**-( scene break )-**_

The changeling's first instinct was to head back to the infirmary, hoping to retrace her steps, so he headed for the elevator banks located in the top shaped space station's central hub. His expedition was cut short as a pair of lift doors opened, revealing Raven's forlorn figure. Her face was stained with dried tears, and she had a vacant stare in her eyes.

"Gar …" She croaked before her voice died in her throat.

"Rave … are you OK? The Martian Manhunter said that you were alright."

"I'm in perfect health." She droned. "I'm fine."

"Then, why don't you look fine? Something's wrong Rave, I might not be an empath, but I can tell."

Raven looked away from him. How could she possibly break the news to him? This was an event that didn't fit into the equation that was their budding and incipient relationship. They were superheroes and the plan was to remain that way into the indefinite future. She knew that he loved that role, that he loved being Beast Boy, a Teen Titans. Telling him the news would shatter that. How could they continue to be Titans if they had a child to raise?

And there was the unspoken fear that curled up in the pit of her stomach, a threat that like a rattlesnake was poised to strike with cold and calculating precision. This infant that was growing in her womb would be Trigon's grandchild. Raven spent years struggling to tame the demonic monster that dwelled within her, but what of this child? What if their offspring chose to follow the path of evil?

The thought of destroying the child crossed her mind. The doctor had reminded her that she had "options". But Raven also knew that she had once been considered "throw away" by her father, who sired her for the sole purpose of conquering a universe, exiling her spent self into a pit of fear and despair, to the very gates of hell, once he no longer needed her. And there was also the fact that the child was also Garfield's offspring.

"Raven?"

As much as she wished to hide this news from him, he had a right to know.

"Raven, what's the matter? Tell me."

She handed him the folded sheet of paper. With a perplexed look on his face he unfolded it and began to read it. She studied his face carefully, while listening to his emotions with her empathic senses. At first his emotions matched his face: he was confused and read the printout more than once. After the second reading his emotions changed, as elation exploded out of him.

"Rave … I thought … I thought we couldn't …" He stammered as tears began to well in his eyes.

Raven began to sob.

"I'm so sorry …"

He scooped her up under her arms and spun her around, while a huge grin appeared on his face.

"You're Sorry? Rave … this is awesome!"

"You … you aren't … angry?"

He stopped spinning and lowered her to the ground.

"Angry? Rave, this is a miracle! We aren't supposed to be able to have kids, and we did it after just two tries."

"But we weren't trying." She corrected him.

"Stop being so actual-factual for once, Rave." He smiled at her. "We're gonna have a baby!"

Raven threw her arms around him.

"But we aren't even married."

Before the changeling could answer her he heard a familiar voice echoing down the curved corridor.

"There they are! Yo, B, you were supposed to bring her back! What are you waiting for?"

Cyborg, Robin and Starfire emerged around the curved hallway and approached the Chromatically Challenged Couple™.

"Beast Boy, you knew that everyone is waiting for you guys." Robin chastised him. "What was so important that you guys didn't come back immediately?"

The changeling wrapped an arm around Raven's shoulder. They were family and deserved to know. Still that didn't keep a deep blush from appearing on her face. She would let him break the news.

"We've got great news, dude." The changeling replied.

"I hope so, so what is this great news that's keeping the Justice League's senior members waiting?"

The changeling grinned from ear to ear.

"Raven and I are gonna have a baby!"

Silence followed, as their three friends became slack jawed. Finally, after a small eternity Starfire predictably spoke first.

"A bumgorf! How glorious!"

Robin coughed. "Uh … that's … unexpected … congrats?"

Cyborg's human eye began to twitch.

"You knocked up MY LITTLE SISTER!" He bellowed at the changeling, waving his arms."I told you to keep your green mittens off of her, but no, of course you couldn't! And besides, that's supposed to be impossible, Raven can't get pregnant! Dang it grass stain, leave it to you to mess things up! And she's been crying! What did you tell her!"

Raven raised her hand.

"Don't be angry with him, Cyborg, it's my fault this …"

"Oh no you don't, Raven. I'm disappointed you let this happen, but you're not gonna take all the blame for this!"

He turned to Beast Boy.

"You're gonna marry her, or you're a dead man."

Beast Boy indignantly crossed his arms."

"Duh! Of course we're gonna get married. We're already engaged."

"You are? I thought you guys were just dating. Is there anything else you haven't told us?" Robin asked in a cross voice.

Raven and the changeling looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"No." They answered in a single voice.

"Thank heaven for small favors. Let's get back to the conference room before something else happens"

_**-( scene break )-**_

"What took so long?" Batman asked in his own monotone, dripping with disapproval.

"Titan's business." Robin replied in his own monotone as the Fab Five took their seats.

"Are you fit to return to duty, Miss Raven?" The Martian asked.

The sorceress paused, carefully evaluating her words.

"I am, with some caveats."

"Caveats?" Wonder Woman asked, casting a suspicious eye at the sorceress. "I thought the doctor gave you a clean bill of health, child."

"I am not a child, and yes, I am in perfect health."

"So what's this caveat?" Hawkgirl asked. "Is there something you need to tell us, child?"

Raven glared at the Thanagarian.

"I'm pregnant." Raven barked at her.

Silence ensued around the table, while the two female Justice Leaguers shook their heads in a dismissive and disapproving gesture.

"Hera help me, why I am not surprised?" Wonder Woman remarked.

Raven scowled at the Amazon.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She snarled.

"Demonesses and their insatiable lust." Diana replied while Hawkgirl nodded her agreement.

"Like you and Hawkgirl are virgins."

"We aren't children." Hawkgirl snapped at her. "And for your information, Diana is still a virgin."

The Flash tried to stifle a snicker, and failed. Hawkgirl glared at him and he immediately fell silent.

"And neither am I. And unlike you, I have a fiancé." Raven retorted.

The two women turned to Beast Boy.

"It was you." Wonder Woman growled. "Men, they're all …"

Slade chuckled, sounding clearly amused. "Well done, Raven and Beast Boy. Does the big red guy know he's going to be a grandfather?" He interrupted Diana.

"That will be enough." The Martian interrupted. "Raven, since you are with child, you cannot serve on a mission, that is a Justice League rule."

"And I'm not a member of the League, so your rules don't apply to me." She answered defiantly.

The Martian stared at her, as if sizing her up.

"Very well, rather than engage your innate stubbornness we will find you a mission that won't be affected by your condition."

"So what are we trying to accomplish?" Cyborg asked. "Besides bitch slapping Blackfire and taking her down?"

"The goal is to remove Blackfire and restore Cutler as president of the United States."

"Are you insane?" Robin protested. "Cutler is the problem!"

"Cutler is the legally elected leader of the United States." The Martian replied while Cutler grinned maliciously. "Just because we don't like Cutler doesn't mean we can legally depose him."

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Beast Boy screeched. "He tried to murder Rob, Star and Cy, plus he attacked Canada and Mexico with no good reason."

"Not so, the Canadian and Mexican governments were harboring terrorists. While controversial, the air strikes were justified after the attacks on American military installations. As for Cutler's direct assault on the Teen Titans in Peruvian and Brazilian airspace, both nations have already lodged formal complaints with the United Nations …"

Raven allowed a derisive snort to escape her nose. "A complaint with the United Nations? That'll have him trembling in his Fascist boots … what a joke!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Miss Raven. But we also need Cutler's help to stop Blackfire."

Cutler nodded while he looked at Raven the way a cat looks at a mouse.

"That's right. I have secret elite Lightning Trooper squads spread strategically around the country. They can't defeat the Tamaranians on their own, but with Justice League … and Teen Titans help I can be restored to my rightful place … and as a token of my gratitude there will be full pardons and citizenship for the Titans."

"Dude … I don't need you to pardon me … because I haven't done anything wrong … and I'm already an American, I've always been one." Beast Boy growled at him.

"Nothing wrong? You mean like when you blew up those submarines and killed those sailors?"

The changeling shrunk back at the accusation, remembering that terrible day.

"Those men died because of you, Cutler, no because of us. And the attacks against Canada and Mexico were unjustified, they had no idea that we were in their countries." Raven interjected.

Cutler grinned smugly at the sorceress.

"How ironic that the Teen Titans will help restore me to power." He gloated. "Don't you just love happy endings?"

"Don't push your luck, Cutler." Raven growled.

"Raven is correct. We are only intervening to save the Earth from my sister, the Gordanians and the Citadel. Once this is over, I will seek vengeance against you, Adam Cutler, for what you have done to me and my friends. You are an evil man …"

Cutler laughed.

"How I love superheroes, with their quaint notions of good and evil."

"I'm not a superhero, Cutler." The one eyed villain remarked.

"I know we have been at odds in the past, why don't we bury the hatchet? Serve me, Slade, and I will reward you handsomely."

Slade calmly approached Cutler, until they were face to face. Cutler could hear the man breathing through his mask. He felt intimidated by the formidable man, the product of of a military experiment gone awry.

"I said this a long time ago, to someone far more powerful than you Cutler, and I'll say it again … I'm no one's servant."

Cutler gulped.

"But you're Deathstroke the Terminator. You're a hired gun."

"You can't afford my price, Cutler. Once this is over, I suggest you stay out of my way, if you know what's good for you. I might not be for hire anymore … but I'm still Deathstroke."

"Why don't we just focus on our common goal … stopping Blackfire before the Earth is invaded?" Batman interrupted.

The cacophony of discussions died down.

"So, what's the plan, Bats?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Slade."

_**-( scene break )-**_

And we are one step closer to the final showdown. Thanks to all have followed this story and especially to those who take the time to review.

I have a couple of shout outs today:

First is "Menace in Mexico City" by soulfulbard. It's just starting and is nicely written. Don't forget to leave the author a review!

The other one is actually an existing Teen Titans fan fic that was first published two years ago, by a group of writers who collaborated (including yours truly). Some of you are already familiar with it. It's called "Ganguro" and it's published by 'Zorkaberry Pie'. I just mention it here for newer readers who are unfamiliar with the works of the indigestible pie!

And before I forget ... it's official ... the show is coming back ... with a caveat.

They're changing the show. The characters look ... different ... more cartoonish ... the anime look is gone. Also, the press release said that the show (titled Teen Titans Go!) will be more humor centric than the old show. It will debut sometime next year in "spring", so it's still about a year away. There is a silver lining to the cloud: the 5 voice actors are returning, so at least it will sound right.

Here is a press release (removed spaces)

www . comicsalliance 2012/06/08/dc-nation-teen-titans-go-full-series-cartoon-network/

If you ask me, in the single image include in the press release, BB and Cyborg look like they're stoned.


	23. The Three Amigos

The room fell quiet as a holographic image appeared, floating over the circular conference table.

"That's the bunker I had built in central Virginia." Cutler remarked in a huff.

"Blackfire has made it her base of operations, her central command. The portal from the Vega system will feed into that facility. It's a 600 acre complex, with over 800,000 square feet of finished floor space, including 100,000 square feet in the bunker. It has its own nuclear power plant, the perimeter is heavily fortified and it's crawling with hundreds of Tamaranian warriors."

"How do you know all this? That information is top secret!" Cutler protested.

Batman glared at the despot.

"It's my business to know … anyway … we have four objectives. First of all, the reactor must be taken offline, as it powers a force field that protects the chamber in the bunker where the portal is kept. The Portal is self powered, so it won't be affected by the power loss. This leads to our second objective: Destroy the portal. If Blackfire can open it, she'll be able to bring in countless Gordanian and Citadel warriors and that would be catastrophic. These two objectives take precedence over all others."

The Dark Knight surveyed the group, reading their expressions and body language. Everyone looked tense and anxious, as was to be expected. To his surprise, Robin's team of young adults looked calm and relaxed. He had trained them well, which was good as cool, calculating heads were required for the mission.

"The third objective is to create a distraction to so the portal can be destroyed without any interference."

"What about Blackfire?" Cutler interrupted.

"Her capture is our fourth objective. We would prefer that she not escape, but if she does she is unlikely to return to Earth."

"I want her head mounted on my wall!" Cutler shrieked.

"I'm sure you do, Mr. President, but the Justice League doesn't work that way…"

"And neither do the Titans" Robin interrupted.

Batman continued speaking.

"Mr. Cutler, I'm afraid I have bad news. There are also reports that someone close to you, a friend by the name of Stanley Davidson, was murdered by Blackfire."

Cutler turned pale, but said nothing.

"His body was found by local police in a Maryland forest."

Cutler's face hardened.

"You WILL capture her." He growled. "She will pay for that!"

"As I already mentioned, it is one of our objectives. Do understand, Mr. Cutler, that we are intervening, not to save the United States, but to protect the Earth from an alien invasion. I understand that you seek vengeance, but we will not compromise our mission to help achieve that that."

"That is unacceptable! I demand that you reprioritize your objectives!"

"I'm sorry, but you are in no position to make demands. Just be glad that after this is over that you will be reinstated as the ruler of the United States, a situation not a single person in this room, other than you, relishes."

Cutler frowned and sunk into his chair.

"I'm not surprised, not one bit. Half of you are aliens; I wouldn't be surprised if you were in league with Blackfire…"

Raven leaped to her feet, her eyes glowing red.

"If that was true, you would be lying on the bottom if the ocean right now ... I risked my life to save you, you ingrate!"

"Raven is correct. Don't forget that you are being kept informed of this mission as a courtesy. Another outburst like that and you will be confined to quarters. Have I made myself clear … Mr. President?"

Cutler pouted.

"Fine, but I'm trusting you."

Beast Boy leaned forward, until he was face to face with Cutler.

"Which is more than we can say about you!" The changeling snarled at him. "You treated us like dirt and then you tried have my friends killed. You're lucky that you're surrounded by superheroes, otherwise I'd …"

"That will be enough, Beast Boy." Batman chided him.

As the changeling drew back he saw Slade staring at him, calmly nodding his approval. Beast Boy felt the blood in his veins go ice cold as the significance of what happened dawned on him: he was thinking like Slade.

"Now that we've calmed down, I have assignments for you."

"Cyborg, Hawkgirl, Flash and Slade. You will take the reactor offline. And by offline, I mean offline, not destroyed. We can't risk any radioactive contamination."

"Superman, Captain Marvel and Martian Manhunter. You will attack the main entrance to the complex. I want every Tamaranian Warrior out there trying to stop you, so you will need to draw them out."

"I will join Robin and Starfire in capturing Blackfire."

"What about us?" The changeling asked.

"You and Raven will teleport into the portal chamber when the force field comes down and immediately destroy it. Raven, you will have to use your own powers to teleport into the chamber. Once the attack begins they will deploy teleportation dampeners, blocking our own teleporters. Will you be able to handle that?"

"It shouldn't be a problem." She replied.

"And what about me?" Cutler asked.

"You will remain here until the mission is complete."

"You're going to let her get away, and I know why." He protested as he pointed at Starfire. "You're going to let that murderous bitch escape because they're sisters!"

"You're out of line." Robin howled at the dictator.

"Am I?"

"I suggest you take your xenophobic prejudice and …"

"And what, witch? And don't think I don't know you're an alien too."

The Titans and Batman noticed that Raven ever so subtly bit her lower lip, and Beast Boy knew what that meant: she was pissed.

"I should have let you fall into the ocean." She growled as she got up to leave.

"Raven!" Starfire gasped. "You did not mean that!"

The sorceress stopped.

"Give me one good reason we should put up with his insults."

"I agree with Raven." Batman added. "GL, would you mind taking the President to his quarters?"

Hal Jordan rose from his chair with a smirk on his face.

"I thought you'd never ask."

The Green Lantern from sector 2814 lifted his fist and the green ring on his middle finger hummed as it began to glow. A giant green lasso emerged from the ring and shot towards Cutler, trapping him. Within seconds Cutler was hogtied.

"Let me go! I'll file a formal complaint with the United Nations!"

"Like they'll care." Cyborg snickered.

The Green Lantern left the conference room with a cursing and swearing Cutler, who levitated behind him, still hog tied. As the door slid shut the Flash broke out laughing, followed by the Titans, then the remaining Justice Leaguers joined in the laughter, except for Batman, who waited for the laughter to die down before he spoke.

"I have to admit, I really enjoyed seeing that." He announced with a slight smile on his face.

"Do we really have to, you know, let him be the President again?" he changeling asked.

"To prevent that would be an illegal act." The Martian intoned.

"Yeah, do we have to actually help him?" Beast Boy asked.

"I like the way you think, Beast Boy." Slade droned in his monotone.

"You're still here?" Robin fumed. "Don't you have a reactor to shut down?"

"Now, now, my former apprentice, let's not get too testy, shall we?"

"I was never your apprentice! You blackmailed me, you worthless …"

Slade chuckled.

"Robin, you remain as predictable as ever."

Batman cleared his throat.

"In case you've forgotten, we have work to do. The mission begins in 97 minutes. Everyone go and rest, I want you to be sharp as there's no margin for error."

_**-( scene break )-**_

The five Titans walked quietly back to their rooms. Rest would not be an option for any of them, regardless of what Batman requested. Even though they all hid their worries and concerns behind the most stoic of faces, Raven could feel what troubled them: Starfire's apprehension regarding capturing her sister. Cyborg worrying that something might go wrong while shutting down the reactor. Robin was also worried, but it was about working with his old mentor, a man that he had tried, in totally futility, to leave behind in the past.

Then there was Garfield. He was of course worried about his now pregnant fiancée going on a dangerous mission. His friends were worried about this as well, but he took it to a higher level. He knew she was strong; she was half demon after all. But his sense of unease permeated her senses, the way a fouled restroom's stench could permeate a house, pervasive and enduring.

The first door they reached was to Raven's room. After placing her palm on the reader the door slid open. She entered the room. Beast Boy followed her, as expected. What was unexpected was that her other friends filed into her room a well, the door sliding shut behind them. Raven turned to face them.

"Robin, I know what you're gonna say …"

Before she could finish, Starfire wrapped her powerful arms around the sorceress, drawing her into an inescapable hug. Raven flinched at first, but knowing there would be no escape she relaxed. Starfire then kissed her on the cheek and hugged her some more, stifling a sniffle.

"Starfire, it's no big deal. Anyone can get pregnant."

Starfire released her and gazed into her eyes.

"You are not just 'anyone', Raven. You are my dearest friend and I am so happy that you are with child."

"I'm not even married … who would have thought this would ever happen to me, Raven the prude?"

"But it has happened … and when this ordeal is over I will organize the most wonderful wedding for you and Beast Boy."

"Starfire, that won't be necessary, we'll just find a judge and …"

"Unacceptable!" The princess retorted. "You will have a proper wedding."

"But Starfire …"

"The girl's got a point. After that jungle wedding, we need a real one." Cyborg chortled. "And besides, we're your family; you don't think were gonna just have some low key ceremony at the county courthouse. You just get that idea out of your pretty little purple head of yours."

"How could I possibly have that kind of wedding … I mean … I'm."

"Pregnant?" Robin interrupted.

"Yes, pregnant … what would my mother say?"

"That you chose a better guy than she did?" Cyborg remarked.

Raven briefly made eye contact with Victor before looking away,

"That isn't funny. And what about Mento and Elastigirl? They're going to have conniptions when they find out."

"Or they might be happy to become grandparents." Garfield added.

"Don't kid yourself, Gar, they hate my guts."

"Oh, c'mon Rave, you know that's not true."

"Ok, maybe, but they aren't exactly crazy about me."

The changeling wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"They'll learn to love you. I know they will."

"Maybe." She pouted. "So are you on board with this crazy wedding too? I thought guys hated weddings, especially their own."

"It'll be great, you'll see."

She gave him a small smile, which quickly turned into a frown.

"Except we have to deal with Blackfire first."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Three men wearing trench coats ignored the large sign that warned: "US Government Facility, Trespassers will be arrested." The continued walking towards the heavily fortified guard gate, which was staffed by tall Tamaranian warriors, whose green eyes glowed in the dark through the slits in their heavy battle helmets. They were armed with alien energy based weapons. Unlike the Royal Princesses, commoners could not conjure Star Bolts nor shoot lasers from their eyes. The weapons they carried, while bulky, also glowed with the same eerie green fluorescent shimmer as did Starfire's fists when charged.

Blackfire was an anomaly among Tamaranians. She had dark hair and her Star Bolts were violet and matched her eyes. When she was born her non Tamaranian coloration was a source of scandal throughout Tamaran and one of the High Priestesses of X'Hal prophesized that she would someday be a source of heartache for the people of Tamaran.

Blackfire, however was nowhere near the heavily armed gate. The three strangers, who were also wearing fedoras quickened their pace as the approached the gate. One of the guards saw them approach in the dark and turned a flood light on them.

"You are ordered to turn around and leave immediately, this is a restricted area." The PA system boomed.

"Our car broke down! Could we use your phone? Our cell phones don't seem to work out here." One of the men shouted back.

"We cannot help you. You must leave now; this is your final warning!"

The three strangers were now approaching the guard gate.

"Aw, c'mon, we're like a million miles from the next town, it won't kill you to let us use your phone to call for a tow truck!" One of the other strangers called out.

Seven Tamaranian warriors emerged from the guard house, their weapons charged. Their leader approached the three strangers.

"You are not warriors and there is no honor in killing you, but if you do not leave right now we will have no choice but to terminate you."

The three men removed their hats. Two of them looked unremarkable but the third one morphed into a green humanoid.

"Who are you?" The squadron leader barked.

The three men removed their trench coats. The other two men wore skin tight spandex outfits. One of them had a red costume with a white cape and had a lightning bolt on his chest. The other one wore blue with a red cape and had famous Kryptonian family crest on his chest. Those two were recognizable even to Tamaranians.

The squadron leader tapped on the communicator.

"Captain … we have a problem at the main entrance ... we need reinforcements"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Sorry for the short update, but I won't have time to get back to this for a long as a week.

Anyway, the plan has been set in motion.


	24. Storming the Castle

The central control room in Cutler's massive bunker was located deep within the main building, securely protected in the heart of the complex. It was a place Cutler setup from where he could run his empire if he were to ever fall under siege from unfriendly forces. Blackfire had to give her brief and now former husband credit, it was impregnable. It even had dampening technology to thwart unfriendly teleportation into the complex, a protection that was temporarily shutdown to allow the jump portal from the Vega system to work.

Blackfire sat on a throne like chair, surrounded by dozens of flat panel displays. Most of the displays showed key locations throughout the complex. A large monitor showed the room where the portal gate was kept. The portal was a giant metal ring, ample enough to accommodate a large bus. It shimmered with an otherworldly glow, its alien technology stranding out in contrast when compared to the more mundane human technology surrounding it in the room. Next to that particular monitor was as tactical display, which showed the portal's ever changing technical status. The alien princess smiled, as the portal had just completed a self diagnostic and was now ready to go online.

She turned to another monitor, which displayed a real time view of Earth from a satellite. The blue marble, the only world in the Solar System that had life, floated in space, like a prize to be snatched.

"Soon, you will be all mine." She muttered happily to herself.

Blackfire's self congratulations were soon interrupted by the blaring of an alarm, its annoying claxon repeating over and over.

"What now?" She grumbled.

"The main entrance is under attack, your highness." One of her generals, who manned a console in the room, reported to her.

The view on the main view screen was switched to the front gate. Blackfire tensed up as she watched Superman, Captain Marvel and the Martian Manhunter battle with twenty Tamaranian guards at the main gate. Though the intruders were heavily outnumbered they were clearly overwhelming the guards, whose weapons appeared to have no effect on any of them. Some engaged them in hand to hand combat, which was even less effective as Superman and Marvel easily manhandled the guards, while the Martian used his shifting powers which made it impossible to strike him.

"So much for the Justice League staying out of our business … General … send every warrior to the gate, they cannot enter! We are too close to success."

"Your highness, we won't be able to hold them back indefinitely … they are too strong."

"We don't need to hold them back indefinitely, just long enough to bring the portal online."

"Yes, your highness." He replied as he typed on the console."I have dispatched every warrior to the main entrance."

"Good, go and lead them general. I will supervise the portal from here."

At first the general hesitated.

"Your highness, you wish for me to join the fight?"

"Yes, general, I need every Tamaranian warrior available down there, and that includes you."

He bowed somberly, clearly unhappy with the order. He was an older male, well past his physical prime. But he was still a Tamaranian, and that meant he was a warrior. He would obey her command, even if it meant certain death.

"As you command, my Princess."

After the reluctant general bounded out of the room, the heavy blast doors closed behind him. The portal chamber was directly below the command room, linked to it via a spiral staircase. Blackfire turned to her console and resumed typing.

"Soon, not even the Kryptonian and the Wizard's champion will be able to defeat me. Once the portal is online I will be able to bring millions of warriors from the Vega system … we will be unstoppable." She hummed happily to herself.

Blackfire's revelry was interrupted by a humming sound that came from behind her. Before she could turn around she heard an all too familiar voice.

"Your treachery will not be successful, sister!"

Blackfire turned around to face her younger sibling.

"And how will you stop me? I always was the better fighter." Blackfire taunted her.

Starfire gritted her teeth as she charged her Star Bolts. Blackfire did the same.

"I seem to recall that the last time the two of you had a fight, Starfire kicked your butt." Robin growled.

Blackfire laughed.

"I see you brought two weak and puny humans with you, not that it will make any difference … tell me sister … is your weak husband able to satisfy you?"

"Don't listen to her, Starfire. We stick to our plan." The Dark Knight reminded her as he drew two batarangs.

Blackfire punched a large orange button on the console and laughed.

"You're too late."

Batman launched a pair of Batarangs at the princess, which she blasted with her star bolts.

"It will take more than your feeble toys to defeat me, human!" She smirked.

Robin watched her approach the spiral staircase. They had to keep her out of the lower chamber so that Raven and Beast Boy could do their part: destroy the portal. He deployed his collapsible bo staff and gestured to her, challenged her to attack him. An evil smile adorned her face as she conjured two more purple star bolts.

"It's not too late to switch to the winning side, Robin."

"You're out of your mind." He growled back at her.

"Not at all, Robin. Think about it, I'm not only a better fighter than my sister, I'm also a better lover."

Robin stifled a guffaw as he twirled his bo staff above his head.

"In your dreams, Blackfire."

She smiled back at him.

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

That was when the power went off in room, which was now illuminated in the glow of the emergency lights.

"We have to get to the portal!" Batman shouted as a console begin to beep. "It just came online!"

Blackfire began to throw her purple Star Bolts at them. Batman and Robin leaped out of harm's way while Starfire returned her own volley. The circular stairway remained blocked by the princess, who laughed as the backup power kicked in.

"Batman, look!" Robin shouted as he pointed at one of the screens.

The portal was visible on the screen and it began to glow as it powered up.

"That last relay in space the rest of the Justice League is busy destroying right now is a decoy, the portal doesn't need it to function." She laughed. "Within a few minutes my unstoppable invasion force will arrive and not even the Justice League will be able to stop me ... Earth is mine!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

After promising to hold his tongue, Cutler was allowed to leave his room and watch the teams teleport down into the bunker. The teleporter operator activated the teleporter console by inserting a card key into a slot in the console, a large green light indicating that the console was now activated. Cyborg, Hawkgirl, Flash and Slade were the first ones to beam down, followed by Starfire, Robin and Batman.

Raven and Beast Boy stepped onto the platform, while the teleporter operator fidgeted with the controls.

"The dampening field didn't get raised." She remarked.

"Can you teleport us directly into the room?" Raven askled.

The woman shook her head.

"No, there's some sort of dimensional turbulence, I don't know what's causing it."

The changeling gasped as the realization hit him.

"The portal must be online."

"No, that can't be possible; the final relay was never deployed." Raven replied.

"I can place you 100 feet away from the room, after that you're on your own." The operator interjected.

"Do it!" The changeling barked.

The woman nodded and pulled a lever. The two Titans began to shimmer, becoming transparent until they vanished into thin air.

"Did they make it?" Cutler asked.

The woman studied the console before answering.

"Yes, transport was successful."

Cutler watched carefully as the woman pulled the card out of console and the green light was dimmed. He suddenly stepped forward and collided with the woman's arm, making her drop her card key. He quickly bent over and after retrieving the card he handed it back to her.

"Forgive me, I just wanted to look at the console, but I see you already shut it off. Here's your card key, Miss?"

"Nilroy." She replied as she snatched it from him and walked out of the room. "Don't bother trying to operate it, it won't work without the right card key." She waved it at him.

Cutler watched her stoically until the skidding doors shut, leaving him alone in the room.

"You mean this one?" He asked in a mocking tone.

He opened his palm and with a flick of his wrist an identical card key appeared between his middle and index fingers. Cutler had put himself through college by performing as a stage magician for private parties, and though the years had passed he was still quite adept at it. He replaced her card key with a defunct card he found in the trash and she was none the wiser. Of course as soon as she tried to use it she would know. He inserted the card into the console and the green indicator lit up. He planned on being long gone by the time she figured it out.

He keyed in some coordinates on the console and set the timer for 5 seconds. He stepped onto the teleportation platform and began to shimmer.

"You're going to pay for what you did to me, Princess."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Cyborg, Hawkgirl, Flash and Slade materialized in the reactor's control room. The sound of claxons blaring indicated that their timing was flawless as all the Tamaranian warriors had been deployed to the main entrance, which was visible on a large overhead monitor. Superman, Capt. Marvel and the Martian were engaging over three hundred Tamaranians. Slade grinned beneath his mask as he saw that at least one hundred warriors had already been knocked out cold. The Man of Steel and the Mightiest of Mortals were able to take the Tamaranian warriors down with a single punch, not that it deterred the fierce aliens who did not relent in their attack.

They kept changing their tactics, improvising, trying to find a way to subdue the three invaders. A dozen warriors dog piled onto Marvel, who began to spin like a top, sending the Tamaranians crashing into the cinderblock walls. It wasn't going well for the aliens, but they weren't giving up yet.

The control room's sole occupant was a small, mousy woman who wore a white lab coat and large eyeglasses. She was probably the only human staff member in the base, retained because she knew how to operate the reactor. She stared mesmerized at the screen, watching the battle raging at the compound's gates.

"It's about time someone came." She grumbled unhappily as she tugged at a chain that tethered her to her console.

"You got that right, sister." Cyborg's voice surprised her from behind.

She spun around, nearly tripping on her chain.

"You've come to save me!"

"Actually, we came to shut down the reactor." Slade replied in her monotone.

"But we will get you out of here." Flash beamed at her.

"Do you know how to shut this thing down?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Of course I do! I'm a licensed and certified reactor operator."

"Can you shut it down so it can't be restarted?" Cyborg asked.

"Not without destroying the consoles."

Hawkgirl tapped the handle of her intimidating mace against her other hand.

"I think we can take of that." She replied as she pounded a section of the chain that was lying on the floor, freeing the woman. "So get hopping and shut it down."

"What's your name?" The Flash asked her, grinning as she began the shutdown procedure.

"Rebecca, Dr. Rebecca Goshorn."

"Must he always flirt, even with the ugly ones?" Hawkgirl grumbled under her breath.

Slade wandered away, examining the room's contents.

"There isn't any Tamaranian tech here, if that's what you're looking for." Dr. Goshorn grumbled as her fingers danced across a keyboard. "I'm activating the emergency shutdown protocol, the reactor should go offline any moment now …"

The room went dark as the power was suddenly gone, before Cyborg could pop up his shoulder lamp the emergency power kicked in … and they saw four warriors enter the room, wielding their bladed weapons menacingly.

"Incoming!" Hawkgirl shouted as she began to pummel the main console with her mace, ensuring that the reactor wouldn't come back online anytime soon.

"Go hide somewhere safe!" Cyborg barked at the scientist. "We'll deal with these punks!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

Raven's dark hemisphere emerged from the floor, inflating like a black soap bubble and disappearing just as quickly as a popped bubble, leaving the Chromatically Challenged Couple in its wake. Raven stumbled and the changeling caught her.

"Whoa! Rave, are you OK?"

"I'm fine, I just tripped on something."

"You mean you lost your balance, the floor here's flat. There's nothing to trip on."

Raven ignored his remark. It was true, the new life growing within her was draining her soul self, leeching her mystical power, weakening her. And he was right, she didn't trip on anything. She was weaker than she thought, a mere teleportation had drained her.

"I'm fine, Gar. I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

"OK." He replied warily. "Just don't over do it."

The portal room, unlike the reactor control room, was full of strange alien technology. Consoles with cryptic displays glowed in eerie colors that seemed to shift through the color spectrum and hummed in strange and unnatural sounding harmonics. Beast Boy approached the largest console, stopping in front of it, afraid to even touch it.

"So, where do we start?" He asked in nervous voice.

Raven pointed at the portal ring. It was about 30 feet in diameter and the ring itself was about two feet thick. It looked like it was made of metal, but that was debatable as its surface was continuously changing. It had what appeared to be alien runes on its surface, and both Titans recognized that they were not Tamaranian in origin. Millions of tiny holes, the size of pin pricks, fluidly appeared and vanished across the ring's surface, and lights of different colors leaked through the tiny holes. The changeling stared slack jawed at the mandala like object.

"Rave, you even see anything like this before?"

She shook her head.

"No, I haven't. We need to destroy it, now."

"I'm on it!" He replied as he morphed into a T-Rex and charged at the ring.

"Gar, wait!"

The changeling either didn't hear her, or deliberately chose to ignore her. He opened his giant jaws and bit the ring with all his might. As soon as he clamped down the ring lit up brightly and a power surge ran around it. It reached the green dinosaur and zapped the leviathan, sending it flying into a wall, where it slumped and morphed back into its default human form as it crashed into he floor. Raven ran to his side and cradled his semi-conscious form in her arms. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

"I'm OK."

The portal ring, however, seemed to be going crazy. It color shifted at an ever increasing speed and began to make strange, otherworldly sounds.

"The portal!" She gasped.

"It wasn't me." He moaned as he tried to sit up, still recovering from the power shock he received.

Before either one of them could react the space inside the ring began to glow a blinding white. Turning away from it, Raven noticed that the consoles were also going crazy.

"Rave, what's happening?"

Before she could answer a group of Gordanian soldiers began to march out of the ring.

"The portal, it's online!" She shrieked. "we have to stop it, now!"

Acting purely on instinct, Raven blasted the main console with a volley of her dark energy. The console became as bright as the sun and exploded. The portal went dead, as it no longer shimmered nor morphed. Raven winced as the effort wiped her out, she could feel her soul self ready to shatter again.

Twelve Gordanians managed to make it through the portal before it stopped working. One was an officer, in charge of the others. He looked around in confusion, wondering what had happened. He then saw them huddled in a corner, both too weak to fight. When he recognized them he smiled.

"I remember the two of you. I was on Lord Trogaar's ship when you made it crash into the bay, witch."

Raven felt her heart leap into her throat as the Gordanians surrounded them. They were in no condition to fight back.

"Lord Trogaar will be most pleased when I deliver you and the changeling to him. I expect that my reward will be most … generous."

"You'll never take us, dude."

The platoon leader laughed at the changeling's bravado.

"I will give you credit, little one, you have a lot of spirit! Unfortunately … it won't save you."

Beast Boy rose to his feet.

"I'm only going to warn you once. Leave. Her. Alone."

The leader gestured to his soldiers.

"Seize them … and I want them unspoiled!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

And another cliff hanger, just the way you like them!


	25. Everyone Was Kung Fu Fighting!

Unnoticed by the others in the bunker control center, a mild hum echoed in the room. Ensconced in a dark corner, hidden behind a control panel, Adam Cutler materialized in the room, ducking immediately behind a console so as to remain unnoticed. He peered from behind his sudden hideout, surveying the situation.

He saw Blackfire and her younger sister, the red head, in fighting stances, their eyes glowing in that eerie alien way with violet and green star bolts in their hands. Starfire was flanked by the Dark Knight and Robin, each with Batarangs in hand.

"You can't win, Blackfire." Robin barked at her. "Surrender now."

"Surrender? I've already won! Why would I surrender?"

"Because you never win, that's why." Robin replied. "So, are you going to make this easy on yourself, or are you going to make his hard?"

Blackfire grinned at the boy wonder.

"I always liked you, Robin. For a human you are brave, you have what we on Tamaran call the "fearless spirit", a feature that is all so rare in cowardly humans. After I conquer this world I will exile my dear sister to the Citadel and keep you as my concubine."

The star bolts in Starfire's hands glowed brighter and swelled in size.

"Robin is my husband, sister, you cannot have him. You will have to kill me to take him."

Blackfire's star bolts also swelled, emitting a their signature warbling tone as they grew in size.

"That can be arranged, little sister."

A battle cry escaped from Starfire's lips as she lunged forward, launching the first star bolt at her sister. Blackfire executed a back flip, skillfully dodging the luminous sphere which passed harmlessly below her, crashing into a console, slicing through it like a hot knife through butter. Blackfire twisted in the air as she completed her flip, dodging a second star bolt and firing off two of her own.

Starfire shot into the air, evading the glowing purple spheres. In a fluid maneuver she changed direction and lunged toward her sister, who was now also airborne and Starfire fired off two more shots. Blackfire contorted to dodge the second volley and barely succeeded. Starfire cashed in on her momentary disadvantage and lunged at her sister. Wrapping her arms around her, she tackled Blackfire, slamming her into a concrete wall, leaving a deep indentation in her wake.

"That had to hurt." Batman remarked to Robin.

"Tamaranians are a resilient people." He replied.

And Robin was right. Without skipping a beat, Blackfire punched her sister in the face, breaking her hold and then kicking her in the stomach, sending her flying into another wall, this time leaving an outline of Starfire's figure in it.

"That had to hurt even more." Batman remarked.

"They're just getting warmed up."

Robin was correct, of course. The battle continued to intensify, the advantage see sawing between the two sisters.

"I was an only child, but I've seen sibling rivalry. I had schoolmates who fought with their brothers and sisters … but this takes it to a whole new level." Batman continued to remark.

The walls in the bunker held up to the abuse, with the sisters repeatedly taking turns slamming each other into the walls when they weren't firing star bolts and eye beams at each other. They never made contact with their energy based powers, but the room was beginning to look like ground zero in a nuclear blast as their stray shots keep hitting consoles and monitors, leaving wreckage in their wake. The spiral staircase to the portal room was quickly clogged with debris, making access to the lower chamber impossible.

Batman and Robin more than once had to take cover from both friendly as well as unfriendly fire. Blackfire took occasional pot shots at them, hoping to distract her sister, but the former Dynamic Duo easily evaded her attacks and she soon desisted as Starfire took advantage of them to connect powerful kicks and punches.

From his hiding place Cutler continued to watch and much like Batman and Robin he was able to discern that the fight was beginning to go in Starfire's favor as the dark haired Tamaranian was starting to show signs of fatigue. As he watched, Batman and Robin launched bat and birdarangs, which hit Blackfire in the head. Just as on that fateful day when Starfire literally fell from the sky into Robin's life and he hit Starfire with a birdarang in the head, today's birdarang strike didn't harm Blackfire at all, it merely proved to be a painful distraction, one on which Starfire cashed in, taking advantage of her sister's momentary distraction.

Cutler watched, with a grin on his face as Starfire grabbed her sister by the wrist and returning the favor from their previous duel on Tamaran she slammed Blackfire into the wall repeatedly, over and over. Cutler had to suppress a squeal of delight as his wife 'oofed' with each impact and bits of reinforced concrete fell from the wall. Finally after countless strikes, Blackfire lost consciousness and Starfire dropped her to the floor, where her body crumpled like a Raggedy Ann doll.

"It is done." She announced in a stoic warrior's voice.

Batman surveyed the scene. Starfire's face looked as hard as flint, the warrior expression, with the steely cold shimmer in her eyes which still glowed a bright green, remained on her face as she levitated over her sister's supine form, her back slightly arced and her fists tightly balled and shimmering a bright green.

"That's some woman you married, Dick." Batman whispered to his former sidekick.

"I know."

"She could snap you in half if she wanted."

"I know."

"You'd better treat her right."

"I will … I'm not stupid."

Robin saw a small smile appear on Bruce's masked face.

"She really is something special, you must truly love her."

"More than life itself." Robin replied.

Cutler continued to lurk from the shadows. His smile was now gone, replaced by a frown.

"Why won't she finish her off?" He whispered angrily to himself.

He suddenly recognized where he now was. He was hiding behind the remnants of his own private desk in the room. It had been hit by more than one star bolt and was now a twisted, mangled mess. However, one bank of drawers, the ones on the right hand side were still intact. They were locked, and instead of using a key to open them the bottom drawer had a palm reader on it. He placed his hand on hit and within a few seconds and soft click was heard, and he pulled the drawer open.

Within the drawer he found what he expected: a high powered laser pistol. He carefully removed it and after verifying that it was still fully charged he powered it up. As soon as it was ready he stood up, taking aim at the still supine Blackfire's head.

Revenge could be so sweet.

"It's payback time, you alien bitch." He muttered as he pulled the trigger.

_**-( scene break )-**_

The Gordanian platoon fell upon Beast Boy, who stood between them and Raven, and buried him in a mountain of reptiloid flesh, swarming over him like a pack of wolves. The pile suddenly exploded as a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex emerged, throwing the soldiers off of him as if they were rag dolls, and it emitted a triumphant roar.

"Commander?" One of foot soldiers resting on the floor groaned at his leader, hoping for further instruction.

"You may use your weapons, but do not kill the changeling. If he dies by your hand, you will die with him."

The soldiers grimly acknowledged their leader's order and now brandishing their deadly energy spears they charged at the giant carnosaur, firing their weapons upon the changeling.

"Garfield!" Raven shouted, still too weak to assist him.

In his dinosaur form a single energy discharge couldn't bring Beast Boy down and he took out soldier after soldier, usually by swatting them with his massive tail. It didn't take long for the platoon leader to understand that he would not bite them with his deadly jaws, the changeling was too noble to do some so horrible. The changeling had to taste for death, unlike the Gordanians, and now that he knew this he could change his strategy.

"He will not bite you, just beware of his tail!" The commander shouted.

The platoon was beginning to realize this themselves and they focused on avoiding his massive tail, while they continued to fire upon him with their weapons, which slowly began to take their toll on him. Raven immediately recognized their strategy; they would wear him down and capture him.

"Gar, change forms!" She shouted as the commander began to close in on her.

"You are mine, witch." He grinned as he slowly cornered her. "And without your powers you are helpless."

Raven saw Beast Boy morph into a gorilla. He began to pummel them with his fists, which was more effective than using the T-Rex tail. However, he was more vulnerable to the Gordanians weapons and he winced every time they shot him. He became slower and less aware of his surroundings, and that was when the Gordanians got lucky, one of them hit the changeling directly on his spine, sending him into convulsions as he fell to the floor, morphing back into his human form.

"It's over, you cannot fight back." He gloated as he grabbed Raven by the neck lifting her from the ground as she tried in vain to pry his grip loose while her legs kicked in the air. The remainder of the platoon gathered around their leader, curious about the prize they had just captured. It was hard to believe that this puny girl had destroyed Lord Trogaar's ship so many years before.

"Don't not worry, my little witch, we won't harm you … Lord Trogaar has reserved that right for himself. You are fortunate to be a disgusting mammal; otherwise my soldiers would take gladly turns raping you."

He looked at his men, who had greedy and lustful expressions on their faces. He laughed before continuing.

"It appears that I was wrong. They haven't been near any females for a long time, so I expect that an ugly ape such as yourself will satisfy their desires … I suggest you not resist … you will suffer less damage if you go along ... and who knows? You might even enjoy it."

He tossed Raven into their midst. The first soldier, who held the rank of sergeant, handed his spear to one of his soldiers and approached Raven with a creepy grin on his face.

"I've never mated with a monkey before … this should be interesting."

Raven stood up, her stance was wide and leaning forward slightly, her eyes were crimson red and fists were balled.

"Stay away from me." She growled in an otherworldly, guttural voice.

"I like feisty females." The sergeant replied. "They are most satisfying once you break their will and they submit."

Raven thrust her right hand forward and a blast of dark energy shot out and hit the Gordanian in the crotch. He clutched himself with his two clawed hands, groaning in pain as he fell to the floor. The other Gordanians laughed boisterously at his obvious misfortune.

"Looks like you've got a live one there, sarge." One of him men shouted.

Raven bent over in pain, clutching her mid section. She knew that she was now utterly helpless as her soul self was once again fully depleted. The sergeant slowly rose to his feet, his eyes were still watering from the pain she inflicted on him.

"You'll pay for that, you smelly ape!"

He gestured at two of his soldiers.

"Restrain her! I'm going to teach her a lesson that she'll never forget!"

Two foot soldiers grabbed Raven by her arms. She struggled to break free, but they were far too strong. The commander cleared his throat.

"If she dies, you die, understood?"

The sergeant chuckled.

"Don't worry commander, I won't kill her. But she'll be sore for a long time once I'm done with her, she'll be sore for a veeery long time."

Raven felt her heart leap into her throat. This monster was going to rape her and she was utterly helpless. She continued to thrash in a vain attempt to escape.

"Consider yourself lucky, witch. You're going to mate with a real …"

Before the sergeant could finish his boast a green blur struck him, sending him flying into the concrete wall, from which he slid onto the floor unconscious. A similar fate befell the two soldiers restraining Raven. With a loud thud the Beast landed in front of her and bellowed a deafening roar. She grinned from ear to ear and turned to the commander.

"You are so screwed." She gloated in her best old school monotone.

The commander took quick inventory of his platoon. More than half were still knocked out from their battle with the T-Rex. But what made things worse was the fear he saw in his men's eyes.

"It's just a stupid mammal, take it down!"

The soldiers hesitated.

"I said TAKE IT DOWN!" The commander bellowed as he led the charge, his energy spear crackling with energy.

The Beast leaped into the air, rolling as he easily evaded the energy discharges. He crashed feet first into the commander's head, sending him flying into another wall and knocking him out cold. The soldiers panicked at first, staring incredulously at the furry green leviathan that stood before them.

"I had nightmares as a child with a monster like this one." One soldier gulped.

The Beast didn't hesitate and he effortlessly took out the remaining six soldiers in a swift blur of swipes and kicks. After the last soldier fell the commander stirred and began to stand up. The Beast planted his foot on the leader's head and mashed it into the concrete floor. The Gordanian groaned before once again passing out. The Beast morphed back into Beast Boy's human form, his foot still planted on the alien's unconscious head.

"No one messes with my Raven … NO ONE!"

_**-( scene break )-**_

"Go hide somewhere safe!" Cyborg barked at the scientist. "We'll deal with these punks!"

Dr. Goshorn didn't have to be told twice and she ran and hid behind an undamaged console to stay out of harm's way, and for good reason. The four Tamaranian warriors were huge and muscle bound, plus they possessed super human strength to boot.

"This shouldn't be too hard." The Flash remarked.

"Don't get over confident, fleet feet. They're Tamaranians, which means they're tough, strong and fast." Cyborg interjected. "And they know how to use those blades."

"You worry too much, let's just kick their butts and get this over with." The winged Thanagarian added. "It's four on four; it should be a piece of cake."

Just as Hawkgirl commented on the odds sixteen more Tamaranians entered the reactor control room.

"You were saying?" Slade remarked. "And I agree with Cyborg, even though they are not of royal blood, they still are Tamaranians."

"What are they doing here? Aren't they all supposed to be fighting with Supes, Marvel and J'onn" The Flash complained.

"I guess their invitations got lost in the mail." Cyborg replied as he formed his sonic cannon. "So they came to our party instead. Titans Go!"

The other three team members gave Cyborg an odd look.

"Titans Go?" Slade asked.

"You know what I meant, Slade. Just shut up and fight!"

The two groups engaged each other. As Slade had predicted, it was a very close fight, now that the hybrid team was outnumbered five to one. Slade extended his bo staff and engaged multiple opponents. His technique was impeccable and he swatted down warrior after warrior with well placed hits in the head and other parts of the body. Much to his dismay, they quickly recovered and resumed fighting.

The warriors were well acquainted with Thanagarians and gave Hawkgirl's mace a wide berth while attacking her with their own weapons, which she had to delicately dodge since as many as 5 warriors engaged her at the same time.

Cyborg's sonic cannon was working overtime, and as with Slade's bo staff the warriors didn't stray down long after a hit. Aware of how quickly the cannon drained his power cells he switched it back into a fist and began to punch his opponents instead, hitting them so hard that the titanium alloys in his bionic hand began to groan under the stress of striking the super strong Tamaranians.

The Flash's first strategy was to sucker punch them as he sped past them, but all he got for his trouble were sore fists, as it was akin to slugging a brick wall. He switched gears and began to run rapidly around a group of warriors, sucking the air away from them with the powerful vortex he created, hoping to get them to black out, but they were not affected.

"Flasher, they do just fine in a vacuum, that won't work." Cyborg shouted.

"I'm open to suggestions, Cyborg!" Flash shouted.

"There's too many of them." Cyborg replied as 20 more warriors arrived.

"We won't last long against forty Tamaranians!" Hawkgirl shouted. "Maybe we should retreat?"

"Agreed, we can't win this one." Slade shouted as he swung around his staff, which he had planted in the ground, kicking three warriors at the same time.

Cyborg tapped his ear piece to request that they be teleported out, and grimaced when all he heard was static.

"We're being jammed … they Watchtower can't hear us … we're on our own, guys"

The door, which was on the far side of the room, was the only way out. The Flash stayed with Dr. Goshorn while the other three tried to clear a path to the exit with Hawkgirl in the lead, swinging her mace and occasionally connecting with a warrior's jaw, while Slade and Cyborg backed her up by repelling any Tamaranians who managed to slip past her mace. It was an arduous task and they progressed at a snail's pace.

"Flash, get Goshorn out of here, don't wait for us!" Cyborg shouted.

"I can't leave you guys here!"

"Just go!" Hawkgirl shouted as she swung her mace, knocking a Tamaranian out cold. "We'll be fine, just get her to safety."

Reluctantly the Flash picked Dr. Goshorn up bridal style.

"Hang on, cutie, the ride might get bumpy."

The Flash took off, zig zagging his way to the door while the warriors swung their sharp blades at him and missed, often by just millimeters. After he cleared the last warrior he headed straight for the door, only to find it blocked by three large figures that were shrouded in the darkness of the hallway.

"Oh crap!" He grunted as he skidded to a stop.

_**-( scene break )-**_

OK, one cliffhanger is taken care of, and as many of you correctly guessed, the Beast showed up to save the day.

But now I've left you with two more cliffhangers.

Ain't I a stinker?

Also, if you haven't already noticed, I associated an image with this story (i.e. the book cover). Do any of you recognize it?


	26. The Visitor

"It's payback time, you alien bitch." He muttered as he pulled the trigger.

Cutler began to savor the moment, which felt as if it was happening in slow motion. Blackfire's supine form was still crumpled on the ground while her sister stood above her triumphantly. The dark haired princess's face, a thin trickle of orange blood dribbling out of her mouth, lay square in the middle of the weapon's LCD view finder.

As Cutler continued to pull the trigger he saw Stan Davidson in his mind's eye. The bitterness of his loss burned in the deposed dictator's chest. It occurred to him that this death was too good for her, considering the cruel callousness with which she dropped him from the icy upper reaches of the atmosphere, abandoning him to a terrifying freefall that would have culminated with his death had Raven and Captain Marvel not been there to save him.

But it would have to do, even if Blackfire never knew that he had the last laugh. The trigger reached the firing position and the weapon's emitter began to discharge its deadly death ray.

Cutler's hand shuddered as something struck the bulky laser pistol. The shot missed its mark, hitting the cinderblock wall instead, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. He tried to fire a second shot off, but the pistol was dead, waves of energy dancing on its surface. His hand reacted to the stray energy and in an involuntary electrically induced spasm his palm opened and he dropped the weapon which hit the concrete floor with a metallic clatter. He clutched his firing hand, which was still reeling from the shock, and looked down at the malfunctioning weapon, which had a bird-a-rang impaled in it.

He cursed loudly as he looked back up and found himself face to face with the dynamic duo. He glared at Robin, his teeth bared and his face consumed in unmitigated fury.

"Why?" He snapped at Robin. "Why, did you save her? She's a monster!"

"Some people feel the same way about you, and we didn't abandon you to fall to your death, did we?" Robin replied.

"She killed Stan!"

"Yes, we know that."

"You wouldn't be so magnanimous if she had killed her!" Cutler screamed as he pointed at Starfire.

"If memory serves me right, you tried to have us killed. Starfire, my wife, almost died at the hands of your Navy."

Cutler frowned.

"It's not the same."

"Actually … it is." Batman interjected. "We are sorry for your loss Mr. Cutler."

Cutler grunted his displeasure and in a fit of rage he kicked the remains of the laser pistol into a wall, where it began to shoot sparks and emitted a high pitched whine which grew louder and louder.

"Everyone drop! It's going to explode!" Batman shouted.

Everyone dove for cover, seeking shelter wherever they could. The damaged laser pistol's fuel cell exploded within seconds with a bright flash and a deafening blast. Cutler was behind his desk again and the drawer was still open. He reached into it and found a medium caliber revolver, which he tucked into his waist, hiding it under his suit's jacket. He calmly picked himself up and saw the others around the room do the same.

"All clear." Batman announced in an authoritative voice.

Cutler knew that the revolver wouldn't harm the fallen Tamaranian from where he stood. He needed to get close to her, close enough to shoot her in the head at point blank. Even then it might not work, but it was now his only opportunity left. He began to casually approach Blackfire, who remained unconscious. As he drew near he addressed Starfire, who remained by her side.

"She has betrayed you before, more than once, and yet you forgive her. Why do you do that? It isn't the Tamaranian way." He asked.

Starfire remained standing in her warrior's stance: her legs spread wide, her back slightly arced back, her arms curved and tensed and both of her fists were balled.

"She is my sister."

"So even on Tamaran blood is thicker than water?" He replied with a sneer. "Noblesse oblige?"

"You are correct in that it is not the Tamaranian way to forgive or to show mercy. But I have learned these virtues from my Earthly family, and for that I was always be grateful."

Cutler suppressed a sneer as he drew closer to Blackfire. The red head was indeed as naïve as her sister said she was. But she was still a Tamaranian and he needed to distract her, otherwise she would disarm him before he could shoot her wretched sister.

"How touching, the alien princess from the stars learned to be human, and she learned from a green animal freak, a demoness and robot."

Starfire glared at him while Starbolts formed around her fists.

"You will not insult my friends! You are no better than my sister!"

"Calm down, Star, he's trying to manipulate you. Put your star bolts away." Robin attempted to soothe her. She complied and relaxed her stance.

Cutler was now standing next to Blackfire.

"I am still the President of the United States and we are on American soil."

He knelt down next to Blackfire, staring at her face.

"Therefore she is under arrest for acts of treason."

"We can't let you have her Cutler, you'll execute her." Robin remarked. "The Justice League will take her into custody."

Without turning his gaze away from Blackfire, he replied.

"I thought you might object."

In a swift motion Cutler drew his revolver. He was quick and caught the three heroes off guard. This time there would be not batarangs or star bolts to disarm him. He grinned as he extended his arm, ready to fire point blank into Blackfire's head, the tip of the gun's barrel just inches from her head.

As he pulled the trigger he felt a bone crushing, vise like grip around his wrist. Once again, his shot went wide, missing its target. To his amazement, he found himself staring into Blackfire's violet eyes as she stood up. She tightened her grip around his wrist as she lifted him from the ground, his legs dangling and kicking. He moaned in pain and dropped the revolver, which Blackfire caught with her free hand.

"Shooting your wife at point blank? That's no way to treat a lady, hubby." She sneered at him.

The three heroes were expecting the rogue princess to either toss the weapon away or to simply crush it in her hand. What she did instead caught them by surprise. She pressed the barrel of the gun to Cutler's temple.

It was then that the debris in the spiral staircase began to move. An unseen force cleared the debris away and a green gorilla, with Raven sitting on his shoulder emerged from the staircase.

"The portal has been destroyed." Raven announced. "There will be no invasion."

Blackfire frowned upon hearing the news.

"I have to say that I'm proud of you little sister, you beat me again. And your freakish friends have foiled my invasion plot." Blackfire announced as she pressed the gun even harder against Cutler's head. "You'll forgive me if I don't stick around and rot in one of your jails."

"You aren't going anywhere, Blackfire!" Robin shouted.

"Oh, but I am. You see, this sad and small man is my, what do you call it? My 'Get Out of Jail Free' card?"

"Let him go, Blackfire." Robin growled.

The alien snickered.

"Oh, put away the long face, Robin. I'm taking him with me. His dictatorship ends and you Americans get a 'do over'. It's a win-win."

"Don't even think of it." Batman growled at her in his monotone.

Blackfire steadily retreated into corner of the room, still holding Cutler hostage.

"There's no way out." Robin reminded her. "Surrender and you'll be treated fairly."

She stepped onto a small and previously unnoticed platform in the far corner of the room.

"I don't think so." She replied.

After dropping the pistol she tapped on her wrist band. She and Cutler began to shimmer.

"I'll get you next time … little sister!"

The two vanished into thin air as a swarm of sparkles enveloped them.

_**-( scene break )-**_

After The Flash cleared the last warrior he headed straight for the door, only to find it blocked by three large figures that were shrouded in the darkness of the hallway.

"Oh crap!" He grunted as he skidded to a stop.

The speedster's mind began to race. He had to get Dr. Goshorn to safety, and would do whatever it took. After evaluating his options in a mere split second he made his decision.

"Hang on Doc."

The Flash took off. There were small gaps between the three shrouded strangers who were standing shoulder to shoulder. The gaps were too small to squeeze through, but he decided to try to break through the larger gap. As he approached it he turned sideways so as to shield the mousy scientist from the inevitable impact. He knew that Tamaranians were hard as rocks but he was confident that if he caught them by surprised that he would break through.

In a split second he reached the gap and turned. To his utter amazement, with lightning speed, one of them reached out and stopped him, grabbing his arm and jerking him to a halt.

"Whoa little buddy, what's the hurry?"

The Flash stared incredulously at the arm that stopped his progress. Who was this guy, a Tamaranian speedster?

"How did you do that?" He stammered.

The shrouded figure stepped into the light.

"Oh you know, speed of Mercury and all that."

The Flash exhaled a sigh of relief when he recognized the trio.

"Supes, J'onn, Marvel, you guys are a sight for sore eyes! We're kind of outnumbered …"

"Say no more." Shazam's champion remarked as he cracked his knuckles. "This should be a piece of cake…"

_**-( scene break )-**_

_Two months later._

Raven rose from her chair in the plush suite at the Jump City Four Seasons hotel and glanced out the window into the rainy afternoon. A Pacific storm had rolled into town just three days before their wedding, which was scheduled for tomorrow morning and Raven couldn't help but feel it was an omen.

Titans Island was visible from the high rise hotel where they were staying. The original plan was to celebrate the wedding outdoors on the island, in the shadow of the still under construction replacement for the old Tower, but the storm was going to force them to hold it indoors, in one of the hotel's spacious ballrooms.

The Tower's I beam skeleton was nearly complete. It would still be T shaped, but would have a new, ribbed design. Cyborg explained that the new Tower would be more resilient and easier to protect than the old one and would have more creature comforts than its predecessor.

Much had happened in the past two months. Blackfire and Cutler had vanished into thin air and there was no doubt that she was now off world. As for the former dictator's fate, there had been no sign of him and he was presumed to be dead, though many had their doubts about that, including Raven.

The country fell into turmoil after his disappearance. Simply going back to the way things were before wasn't so simple. The Supreme Court was still stacked with Cutler's Fascist stooges as was the Congress and Senate.

The only thing the country could agree on was to call for a new Constitutional Convention and to rewrite the constitution. As to what that document would stipulate, no one knew. The nation was 'A House Divided'. Even getting a provisional government set up to replace Cutler's cronies proved to be a gargantuan task and the task had only recently been completed. Rewriting the constitution would take years, if not decades. The risk of the country breaking up into smaller nations was a real possibility as several states were already threatening to secede if their constitutional demands were not met.

The country was so divided that even the locals had mixed feelings about the new Tower rising on Titans Island. While many welcomed the return of the structure that was associated with the city's protectors, many blamed the Titans for Cutler's disappearance, even suggesting they conspired with Blackfire, whose escape was considered all too "convenient" by some on talk radio.

The Titans had been placed in the Four Seasons by Justice League, who believed that they should be present in Jump City while the Tower was being rebuilt. The entire top floor of the hotel was theirs, courtesy of the League.

Raven chose to stay with her fiancé and they shared a large suite. Raven was now entering her second trimester of pregnancy and as the unborn child continued to develop it became less dependent of her soul self as the unborn girl had developed her own soul self. Raven's powers were no longer compromised, much to her immense relief.

Yes, it was a girl. Raven had already chosen a name for her: Coraline. Gar indicated his satisfaction with the name and said nothing more about the subject.

What Raven was more concerned about was the imminent wedding. She and the changeling had resumed their earlier arrangement and were living together again. Raven found it odd that while she was comfortable to once again share her bed and body with him that the prospect of marriage unsettled her. She wasn't sure why. It wasn't fear of commitment; she was ready to spend the rest of her life with the changeling. She was considering a trip into Nevermore to see if that would shed any light when she heard a knock on door to the suite. She slowly walked over to the door and opened it. She frowned when she saw who it was.

"Nice to see you too, Raven." The visitor chirped sarcastically.

"What can I do for you, Mrs. Slade Wilson?" Raven asked icily.

Terra grinned nervously.

"Uh … that's not who I am anymore."

Raven opened the door wide. She lowered her hood and gestured with a slight nod of her head for the geomancer to enter.

"So who dumped who?"

Terra plopped herself down on the couch and sighed, staring at the floor.

"He did."

Raven stepped into the suite's kitchenette and filled an electric kettle with water.

"Would you like some tea?"

Terra nodded, still staring at the floor.

"Yeah, sure."

Raven futzed around in the kitchenette, while the kettle heated the water, getting two mugs ready, placing a tea bag in each one. Silence permeated the room until kettle whistled. Raven poured the boiling water into the mugs. She picked them up, and returning to the sitting area, she handed one to the blond.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome … so … what happened?"

Terra shrugged as she took a cautious sip.

"He just dropped the bomb on me; he said that we were wrong for each other. We were never legally married, so I guess all we really did was break up."

Raven also sipped her tea while she listened.

"For what it's worth, you're better off without him. To be honest, I thought you were a really creepy couple."

Terra snickered.

"Coming from the Queen of Creepy, that's almost scary."

Raven felt a twinge of resentment swell in her chest. She could still hear Terra calling her a witch, before attempting, and nearly succeeding in drowning her in a pit of mud on that fateful day in the not so distant past.

"Why are you here Terra? If you've come looking for a shoulder to cry on, Gar went out with Cyborg."

The blond shook her head.

"I just came by to wish you guys the best. I know I'm not invited to the …"

"That's right, you're not." Raven interrupted.

"Yeah, well, is it OK if I stay until BB get's back?"

"Please don't call him that."

Terra raised an eyebrow at Raven's outburst.

"Uh … why not?"

Raven frowned at her.

"It was your pet name for him."

"I didn't come here to steal him."

Raven stood up and walked back to the kitchenette.

"Forgive me for not being so trusting."

An exasperated moan escaped Terra's lips.

"You're never gonna forgive, are you?"

"You tried to kill us."

"You know I would never hurt him."

"You've hurt him more than enough … it's time for you to leave, Terra. We have nothing more to discuss."

Terra put down her mug and stood up. As she headed to the door, she turned back towards Raven, with a sly smile on her face.

"So Raven, is he good?"

Raven frowned.

"Good?" She pretended to not understand the question.

Terra's smile widened into a grin.

"You know, in the sack. The whole world knows you're pregnant, so don't even pretend that you don't know."

Raven's frown deepened.

"Was Slade 'good'?" She asked, her voice dripping with contempt.

"I asked you first, Rave."

Raven ignored her and using her dark energy he opened the door.

"Goodbye Terra, and don't you dare try to crash the wedding."

Terra stopped at the door, leaning against its frame, her arms crossed and another smile on her face.

"Slade sucked. It was like making love with a jackhammer."

Terra though that for a brief moment, a split second perhaps, she saw the smallest of smiles form on the witch's face. Terra finished walking out the door.

"Don't worry; I won't be within a mile of your wedding."

Raven watched Terra walk down the hallway to the elevators, where she pressed a button, summoning a lift. Just as the chime announced its arrival Raven called out to her.

"Terra."

"Yes?"

Raven paused, weighing her words carefully.

"He's exquisite."

Terra stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed she replied.

"You lucky bitch!"

The doors finished closing and Raven returned to her suite, shutting the door behind her.

"Luck had nothing to do with it, Terra." She murmured triumphantly to herself.

Raven returned to the kitchen. She picked up her mug and sipped it. She grimaced, as it had gone cold. She poured the contents down the drain and refilled the kettle. As she waited for it to boil another knock was heard.

Raven sighed. After Terra's visit she was in no mood for any more visitors. She ignored the door, but there was another knock, this time the raps were harder and quicker, betraying impatience. Raven trudged to the door, knowing very well that the intruder wasn't going to desist. A third knock was heard and she picked up the pace, rushing impatiently to the door, ready to tell whomever was there to just leave her alone. She reached for the knob and yanked the door open.

"What do you …"

Raven stopped midsentence, as she immediately recognized her unexpected visitor. She was dressed in white and her head was shrouded in a hood, which she lowered, exposing her own violet locks.

"Mother?" Raven stammered.

Arella smiled softly at her famous daughter.

"You didn't think I would miss my only daughter's wedding, did you?" She asked in a soft and peaceful voice.

Tears streamed down the sorceress's face and she wrapped her arms around Arella Roth.

"Mother!"

Arella palmed the back of Raven's head, gently holding it against her chest while she stroked her daughter's back. Raven choked back a few sobs before speaking again.

"You came."

"Of course I did." She replied as she released Raven, shifting her hands to her shoulders and stepping back and smiling.

"You have grown since the last time we met."

Raven nodded, recalling the time she ran to her mother like a frightened child, hoping she would tell her that the world wasn't going to end. She was 16 at the time, not fully mature, not quite yet a woman.

"Yes, I have."

Arella caressed her cheek, wiping the tears away with her fingers. Raven then noticed that she wasn't the only one with moist cheeks.

"So where is this groom you're going to marry?"

Raven laughed a week snicker.

"You mean the one who knocked me up?"

Arella smirked.

"Yeah, that guy."

Raven pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Mother."

Arella replied with a puzzled look.

"Why?"

Raven glided over to the window and saw that it was still raining.

"Everything I learned at the monastery about self discipline and self control was for naught."

"You mean because you're pregnant?"

Raven nodded.

"I allowed my demonic half to get the best of me, and to make matters worse I threw all caution to the wind … I had condoms and didn't even bother to use them."

Arella laughed.

"Well, he could have thought of that too."

Raven shook her head.

"I seduced him."

"And I'm sure he lost all reason when you offered yourself to him."

Raven scowled.

"Mother, I'm being serious!"

"You always are, my daughter. That's why it's wonderful that you tossed caution to the wind. It's so unlike you."

Raven groaned.

"I'm pregnant mother, or have you forgotten?"

"I'm looking forward to my granddaughter's birth."

Raven became very quiet.

"What's the matter, my child?"

Raven made eye contact with Arella, her piercing gaze drilling deep into her mother's very soul.

"She's also Father's granddaughter."

Arella placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"You're worried about that, aren't you?"

Raven nodded.

"I've … I've considered destroying her." She stammered.

Arella removed her hand from Raven's shoulder as a grim expression plastered her face. After a pregnant pause she replied.

"I once considered doing the same with you."

Once again, the tears were streaming down the gray Titan's face.

"Why didn't you? It was the logical thing to do. Slade was right, the only reason I was created was to usher in the destruction and end of the world."

"And yet it didn't happen, all because of you. Had I destroyed you, your father would have sired another Gem and the whole universe would now be his."

"But you couldn't have known that, Mother, you should have destroyed me."

Arella smiled.

"Yes Raven, you are Trigon's daughter, but you are also my own flesh and blood, even more so as I carried you for nine months. Don't ask me how I knew, but I did. You were not going to be the destroyer of the world. No daughter of mine could be that evil."

Arella paused.

"Nor could your daughter be that evil either."

Mother and daughter embraced just as the door unlocked and opened.

"Rave, guess who just arrived?" Beast Boy announced as he entered the apartment, accompanied by his foster parents.

_**-( scene break )-**_

That was the second to last chapter!

I hope you liked Raven and Arella's tête à tête. In both the comics and the show Raven and Arella are distant. I thought this would be a good time for Arella to be the mother she never was. 


	27. A Friend Returns

"Rave, guess who just arrived?" Beast Boy announced as he entered the apartment, accompanied by his foster parents.

Arella, unlike her daughter, wasn't an empath, but she didn't need to be one to tell that Raven wasn't happy with the arrival of the visitors. She still had her arms wrapped around her daughter and she could feel Raven tense up, so much that she could feel knots form in the muscles on the girl's back.

"Are those Garfield's parents?" She whispered.

"Yes, they are." Raven replied in a hissing whisper.

"And they don't like you because you're half demon?"

"How did you ever guess?"

Arella released her daughter and turned around to face the Daytons. She had a pleasant smile on her face and her expression looked soft. She extended her hand, in a very western, Earthlike gesture, to greet them. Mento took her hand and gave it a feeble shake.

"You must be Raven's mother." He announced

It was an easy guess. Even though Arella looked Asian, was taller than her daughter and her figure was less voluptuous, her hair was violet and she had the same Chakra stone on her forehead.

"That's right, my name is Arella Roth." She replied as she then shook Rita's hand. "You must be Garfield's parents; it's so nice to meet you."

Rita did her best to look at ease, but Raven could sense that she was feeling very uncomfortable, which wasn't surprising at all. They were coming to see the pregnant witch who had ensnared their son, no doubt with her demonic sexual wiles … if only they had any idea of just how repressed she really was. And to top it all off they got to meet her mother. No doubt they were wondering if Trigon would also show up to check them out.

Rita turned nervously to Beast Boy.

"Garfield, you should have told us that Raven's mother would be here! We could have … brought her a gift!"

The changeling rubbed the back of his neck as he replied.

"Uh … I didn't know … I mean … I've never met her before."

He turned to his soon to be mother-in-law.

"Uh … hi mom!"

Rita clearly bristled at hearing him use that title for Arella, but quickly recovered. Arella smiled at the changeling.

"So … you're the dashing young man that got my daughter pregnant, aren't you?"

Beast Boy sweat dropped and gulped.

"Uh … sorry?" He feebly apologized in a timid voice.

"Now wait a second! You aren't saying that this is all Garfield's fault?" Mento snarled. Rita placed a hand of his shoulder to calm him down.

Arella leaned over and pecked Beast Boy on the cheek.

"How can you fault a couple in love?"

"You mean you aren't upset?" Rita asked incredulously.

Arella laughed.

"I'm going to be a grandmother, and so are you, Rita. Garfield is going to become my son and Raven will be your daughter. What is there to be upset about?"

Mento frowned.

"They're still too young; they're only twenty years old." He harrumphed.

Arella chuckled.

"Well, I guess that can't be helped, can it?" She replied with a smile. "Unless … you would like Raven to terminate her pregnancy?"

Mento frowned a second time, crossing his arms and looking away before replying.

"Don't be ridiculous." He griped.

Arella's smile brightened.

"See, you're just as excited about this as I am, aren't you?"

Rita fidgeted with her fingers before replying.

"I ... I suppose we are." She stammered. Mento gave her a quick look that said "What?" before regaining his composure.

"Yes, Rita is right … we are … a bit excited."

Arella clasped her hands together, and stepped forward toward the Daytons.

"Splendid! Let's all go out to dinner and celebrate!"

Beast Boy leaned towards Raven and whispered into her ear.

"Geez, your mom is good."

"She has a tranquilizing effect on people … she uses magic."

By this point Mento was smiling. He turned to his future daughter-in-law.

"Well Raven, since you are the mother of my granddaughter, I think you should choose the restaurant."

Raven had to summon all of her willpower to hide her astonishment and keep her signature stoic face in place.

"There's an Asian Fusion restaurant on the bayside, they have nice vegetarian dishes." She volunteered.

Rita chuckled. "Isn't she a sweetheart? Thinking of Garfield's dietary needs."

Raven continued to keep her disbelief from showing. This was almost too much. In her mind she could still hear them back in Santander saying how she wasn't good enough for Gar.

"You're right, Rita. He sure lucked out, finding a nice girl like her. Shall we get going?" Mento added.

Raven felt like she was in a Twilight Zone episode, but quickly decided to not look at the proverbial gift horse in the mouth. She also made a mental note to discuss spell casting with her mother. She knew Arella was good, but this display of prowess exceeded any expectation she had.

"Hey, look! It stopped raining and the sun came out!" The changeling enthused. "Let's go before the weather changes again."

"Maybe I should change." Raven announced, suddenly noticing that she was the only one present dressed in costume.

"Nonsense, you look wonderful in your Titan's costume." Mento remarked.

Raven unconsciously ran her hand over her stomach. Rita chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry dear, you aren't showing yet. Plus your costume just highlights how pretty you are."

Raven decided to let it go and stop worrying about the sudden weirdness she was experiencing. The real test would come later, once Arella's spell wore off. She raised her arms, ready to summon one of her signature teleportation hemispheres.

"Thank you." She smiled. "I'll take us there."

_**-( scene break )-**_

Starfire laughed as she flew above the bay, her husband dangling below her, in a classic trapeze hand grip. The water in the bay sparkled below them, like an azure sheet covered in diamonds. Warm thermals carried the briny smell up to their lofty location.

Dick nodded towards Titans Island. Starfire understood, knowing that the rain could return. She altered course and soon they were over the island, at about the same height as the top of the still skeletal Tower.

"Soon our home will be rebuilt!" She giggled. "I have so missed it!"

"I just hope that Cyborg's designs are childproof." Dick laughed. "I think Coraline is going to be able to get into more mischief that your typical toddler, especially if she inherits Raven or Beast Boy's powers."

They continued to fly over the island. On the far end workers were taking advantage of the lull in the rain to set up a large tarp that would provide shelter during tomorrow's wedding. The airborne Titans gazed down upon them as they set up the tarp, raising poles and hammering stakes into the ground while others prepared folding chairs to place under the tarp. They moved quickly and efficiently, almost choreographed in their movements.

"Looks like they've done this before." Dick remarked. Suddenly his head snapped towards the Tower skeletal structure.

"Star! Did you see that?" He shouted.

"See what?" She replied.

With no warning he released her hands and went into a freefall dive. Without panicking she joined him in his aerial plummet and side by side they fell towards the island, and the ground quickly rushed up to them.

Dick spread his arms and small winglets appeared, connecting his arms with the side of his torso. Changing the angle of his body relative to the ground, Jump City's newest hero, the replacement for the boy wonder slowed his fall and began to glide. Starfire followed Nightwing, still not knowing what he had seen. With perfect aplomb, worthy of the circus acrobat he once was, he landed at the Tower's base.

"Robin!" She shouted, earning a glare from him. "I mean Nightwing, what did you see? Was it one of Slade's robots?"

"No." He replied as he began to rummage through a pile of wood. "Nothing like that."

"I do not understand … what did you see?"

Nightwing turned around, a huge grin adorning his face.

"This!" He replied as he placed his find into her arms.

"SILKIE!" Starfire squealed. "We found you!" She cheered as she spun around, holding the oversized maggot in her hands.

_**-( scene break )-**_

"Good night!" Beast Boy shouted as he closed the door to their suite. "We'll see you tomorrow at the wedding."

Raven stood in the far corner of the room, looking out the window and watching the sun set over the familiar bay. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she sighed.

"Oh, c'mon, everything went great!" He complained.

"Did it?" She replied in her deadpan.

"Yeah, it did. Our parents got along great. My folks are thrilled about Coraline. They even like you now."

"That was my mother's spell. It'll be gone by tomorrow. Do you really think they'll still like me then? We can't just keep putting love spells on them. They'll eventually develop immunity to them."

He approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Do you remember the first time I hugged you like this?"

She placed her hands over his own, caressing them.

"How could I forget? It was on Val-yor's ship, after Starfire detonated those mines, and nearly killed herself in the process."

"That's right, and if I remember right, you didn't like it."

"Actually, I did like it. I just wasn't ready then to deal with it, not then. I didn't want anyone back then to know I had a crush on you, and that included me."

He lovingly caressed her midsection.

"Steve and Rita also like you, they just don't want to admit it."

Raven turned to face him.

"Yeah, right, they're crazy about the gray demoness you're going to marry. So tell me, what kind of girls do they like? What would the "right" kind of girl been like?"

The changeling looked lost in thought as he pondered her question.

"Definitely not a superhero."

"Interesting, since they both married a superhero." She remarked.

"Yeah, I know, it doesn't make any sense … maybe if you had been a member of the Doom Patrol."

"They're also very possessive of you, which is odd as they kicked you out of the Doom Patrol …"

The changeling began to tap his fingers together.

"Actually, they didn't kick me out … I ran away."

Raven's stoic expression vanished.

"Really? And he didn't come after you?"

"Batman told them that I would be fine with Robin. Mento pouted, but he let me stay with you guys. Batman told Mento that just like Robin, I needed some time away from my mentor."

Raven sat down on the couch.

"Well that explains why he became so possessive the time we chased down the Brotherhood of Evil with them … but it doesn't explain why they will ever like me."

"We just gotta give them time, and besides, why shouldn't they like you?"

"Because I'm creepy, a witch and a demoness?"

"Don't say that."

"Why not? It's the truth. I'm even too freaky for the Doom Patrol."

"Raven …"

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Aren't we the popular couple these days?" She remarked sarcastically. "I wonder who it is this time? Maybe Brother Blood's brought us a wedding present."

"What?" He replied as he opened the door. Starfire and her husband stood there with huge grins.

"Hey Star! … Uh, dude, who are you?"

"It's me, Beast Boy."

"Robin?"

"No, not Robin, Batman has a new sidekick and he's the new Robin."

"Then who are you now?"

"Call me Nightwing."

The changeling grinned.

"Oh yeah, I remember now … that's who you were when Star travelled to the future."

"And we have another surprise!" Starfire cheered as she showed the maggot to the changeling.

"Silkie!" He replied with glee as he snatched Killer Moth's reformed larva. "Dude! It's so good to see you!"

A loud gurgling sound echoed in the room.

"And you're hungry! Where did you guys find him?"

"We found him on Titans Island … say … how about you and Star go feed him?"

The two Titans agreed and headed out together to the pet shop where they used to buy Silkie's food, leaving the two birds alone. Nightwing approached Raven, who was still standing at the far end of the room.

"Nice costume, less cheerful than the old traffic light. So it's Nightwing now? Very dark, I like it."

"Bats asked me to step down."

Raven turned back to the sunset, which still peeked over the horizon like a cosmic Kilroy.

"Dick, do you ever miss the old days … when we were still kids?"

He joined her in staring at the sunset.

"Sometimes I do. They were good times, why do you ask?"

"I'm going to be a mother."

"And you're going to be a great one."

She crossed her arms and sighed.

"Are you sure about that … I mean … how could you know?"

Nightwing draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

"Because I know you."

She sighed again.

"It's … such a tremendous responsibility." She stammered.

"It is. But do you remember what you told your father before you gave him the biggest butt kicking of all time?"

She nodded.

"I said that the Titans were my family."

"And we are … you aren't in this alone, Raven. I know Gar can still be a goofball, but he's gonna be a great dad. And Coraline is going to have two uncles and an aunt who will be deeply involved in her life."

Raven wrapped her arms around her dear friend and returned his hug.

"Thanks … I must seem pathetic … mighty Raven is afraid of being a poor excuse of a mom."

"You should give yourself some credit … you're gonna a great mom."

"Thanks … but I might have to share that title with Starfire."

Nightwing frowned.

"If we can conceive, we're still unsure about that …"

"You mean you and Starfire have been 'trying'?"

He nodded.

"Since Blackfire disappeared with Cutler. Starfire's getting discouraged … STAR Labs says that our genomes are compatible …"

Raven surprised him with a hug.

"It'll happen, you'll see."

"The Tower's gonna need a daycare center." He chuckled.

"Well, Gar is good with kids."

"So are you, at least according to Melvin, Tommy and Teether."

"They aren't kids anymore, she's almost a teen." Raven interrupted. "Oh Azar … does she know I'm pregnant? Some role model I turned out to be."

Dick kissed her on her forehead.

"Relax Raven. She knows and she's thrilled that you and Beast Boy are getting married … say … what are you wearing tomorrow, I haven't seen your gown?"

"No gown. And Starfire tried to change my mind."

"So what are you guys wearing?"

"We decided to just wear our Titans costumes. Gar did insist that I wear a white version of my costume, and I agreed."

He nodded his agreement.

"I think that will be perfect … so … any butterflies in your stomach?"

"Huge ones ... and lots of them. This … this is a really big step … I'm …"

"Scared?"

"Yeah … scared. I know it makes no sense. We've faced insane madmen, vicious and disgusting monsters, and I never felt this scared before … never."

"Actually, it makes perfect sense … you're promising your heart to Beast Boy, for the rest of your life. That is a big deal."

"But he seems so … relaxed and happy."

"You know him, Raven. He's always been good at wearing masks. I'll bet anything that underneath that happy face he's just as unnerved as you are, maybe more."

Raven nodded.

"I'm also good at wearing masks, if anything, I'm the team champ."

Nightwing leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek.

"It's going to be great, trust me."

She returned his kiss.

"Thanks, Dick."

_**-( scene break )-**_

OK, we're not quite done yet. And for those who asked … Silkie is OK! ;-)

Next chapter is the wedding and the epilogue.


	28. At Home on Drenthax IV

"Oww!"

"Stop squirming, Raven! So the brush caught a knot in your hair, stop being such a girl."

"Why are we doing this, again?

"Because you're a bride, stupid. Now sit still and we'll get this done. Thanks goodness we already got your nails done."

Raven crossed her arms and frowned while Bumblebee, who had bobby pins in her mouth and a brush in each hand, continued to work on the sorceress's shoulder length violet hair. Raven cursed silently for allowing her hair to grow out from her old signature A-line.

"Why does my hair have to look different? I'm gonna look like a freak." The demoness complained.

"Don't go there, girl." Karen mumbled back.

"What?"

Bumblebee glared at her.

"We already are freaks, Raven! I have bug wings, you're a demoness, Starfire is an alien, Kole turns into indestructible crystal. Two thirds of the guests are 'freaks'. Even your groom is a freak."

"Gar is not a freak!"

Bumblebee spat out the bobby pins.

"You know what I mean, now will you stop moving?"

Raven sighed loudly and slumped into the chair.

"What are you sighing about? You're getting married! And in your leotard and cape. I don't know how we let you get away with that."

Raven remained silent and after a pregnant pause Karen resumed furiously working on Raven's violet locks. Raven had wanted to keep things 'simple': a short ceremony with a modest exchange of vows. When she announced they wouldn't be doing rings she incurred the ire of just about every lady Titan, except for Starfire. The Tamaranian, who was an alien, was Raven's #1 ally in rejecting Earth wedding customs. Raven justified the decision because Beast Boy wouldn't be able to wear his wedding band and morph, and as an Azarathian Raven simply had no interest in what for her was a foreign custom.

Raven and Garfield had agreed on a simple Azarathian ceremony. There would be no wedding march, no gown, no veil, no wedding bands, and no non-denominational Protestant minister. They would simply walk up to the celebrant, exchange their vows and leave. They did agree to a simple reception afterwards, where cake and refreshments would be served, as their form of compromising with local customs.

The impromptu beauty salon was set up in a small tent on the island. Raven closed her eyes and prayed to Azar that whatever Karen did to her hair, that it wouldn't be ridiculous. Her eyes popped open when she heard some scissors snipping away.

"You're cutting my hair?"

"Relax, you had some split ends, I'm just trimming them."

Raven closed her eyes again. As promised, the snipping stopped. A few more brush strokes and Karen stepped away from the chair.

"OK, Raven, we're done."

Raven stood up and looked in the mirror. To her immense relief, it looked OK. It was done up into a bun, with a few spiral strands dangling down.

"It's the best I could do; we should have got a pro to do this." Bumblebee apologized.

"It looks good, thank you, Karen."

"I still can't believe you're getting married in a leotard and cape. What kind of bride dresses like that?" Kole protested.

"An Azarathian bride. And you didn't have to wear those ugly matching dresses just because you're my friends."

"You have your traditions, we have ours." Argent interjected. "And having the maids and matrons of honor wear horrid dresses to make the bride look good by comparison is one of them.

Raven peered out of the tent's opening. She saw Cyborg, Nightwing and Beast Boy waiting at the rear of the huge tarp. They were all wearing tuxedos, at Cyborg and Nightwing's insistence. The changeling didn't look too happy in the suit, and looked worried as well.

"I guess it's time." Raven remarked softly as she reached for her hood.

Her hands were intercepted by Argent and Kole.

"Oh, no you don't! We don't care if it's Azarathian tradition, you aren't getting married with your hood up!" Bumblebee commanded as she gestured to Starfire.

The Princess opened a box and extracted a ring of small flowers, which she delicately placed on Raven's head. She stepped back to admire her friend.

"Perfect! Raven, you look beautiful!" Starfire cheered as she clasped her hands together. The other women nodded their approval.

The sorceress looked again in the mirror and found that she agreed. The flowers were white with violet edges and they gave her a softness that she often felt she lacked. She looked out the tent's opening and saw that the men had seen her. Gar had an approving grin on his face.

"I'm ready." She announced.

"Go get him, girl." Karen encouraged her.

Raven was escorted out of the tent by her maids of honor and they delivered her to Beast Boy's side.

"Are you sure I can't give you away?" Nightwing asked.

"I'm giving myself away, and so is Gar." She replied. "I appreciate the offer, but in our case it doesn't apply. You of course will be our witnesses."

The men and women nodded and went ahead to take their place at the altar, where Arella stood, having volunteered to officiate the ceremony. Raven looked her groom in the eyes.

"Well, here we are." She announced in her monotone. To the uninitiated, she sounded perfectly calm, but Beast Boy knew her too well … he could tell she was petrified. She looked under the tarp and saw the guests, over one hundred in number, seated on the folding chairs. An aisle that felt at least a mile long divided the crowd, and Raven gulped as she prepared herself to run what felt like a gauntlet. She noticed that Gar also looked nervous.

"We can do this, Rave, I know we can."

"As long as we're together." She replied.

"Isn't that why we're here?"

He reached out to take her hand, and withdrew it as he remembered the protocol Raven explained to him the night before: They would walk up together, side by side but not touching each other. Once the vows were exchanged, they would hold hands a leave together. They agreed to add a single local tradition to the ceremony: they would kiss after exchanging their vows.

"Let's do it." She announced.

They quickly and silently walked down the aisle, which in reality wasn't long at all. Within a moment they were standing before Arella, who was wearing a splendid and ornate cassock, covered in all sorts of glyphs and patterns, all sewn in with golden thread. She raised her arms, forming a 't' with her body, with her palms facing upwards.

"We are here today to witness the union of Raven Roth and Garfield Logan. Is there anyone who objects to this union?" She boldly announced.

The assembly fell silent, knowing that the question was merely traditional and that no one would object.

"Very well, we shall proceed with the ceremony."

She turned first to her daughter.

"Raven Roth, what do you seek from Garfield Logan?"

"I seek to make him my husband."

Arella turned to Beast Boy.

"Garfield Logan, what do you seek from Raven Roth?"

"I seek to make her my wife."

Arella turned back to her daughter.

"Raven Roth, will you accept Garfield Logan as you husband?"

"I will, and I promise to honor him and to forsake all others for him, as long as we both live."

Arella turned back to Beast Boy.

"Garfield Logan, will you accept Raven Roth as your wife."

"I will, and I promise to honor her and to forsake all others for her …"

"especially blonds" he whispered to Raven, which earned him a small smile from her.

"As long as we both live." He continued in a loud voice.

Arella handed Beast Boy a small goblet filled wine, and a tiny loaf of bread, the size of a dinner roll, to Raven. She broke the loaf in half, placing a piece in Gar's mouth and the other in her own. He then offered her the goblet and she took a sip from it before handing it back to him, and he also took a sip before handing it back to Arella.

"Ladies and Gentlemen … I present to you Raven and Garfield Roth."

Mento's voice was heard, booming in the assembly.

"Garfield Roth?"

Rita chuckled and squeezed his hand.

"It's Azarathian tradition for the husband to take the wife's family name, Arella told us that at dinner last night. It's only ceremonial, dear."

"I know." He grumbled. "But she didn't say anything about shouting it out like that!"

"Would you have preferred that she announce they're both changing their names?"

Raven and Garfield had explained over dinner that they would become Garfield Logan Roth and Raven Roth Logan. Rita at the time thought that was grand … Mento … remained silent.

"Steve, get the camera ready!"

Mento raised his camera and snapped away as the newlyweds exchanged several kisses, while the assembly, which consisted mostly of superheroes, applauded and hooted their approval.

_**EPILOGUE**_

_Seven months later…_

The chair silently rocked back and forth while Coraline suckled happily at her mother's breast. A content smile adorned the sorceress's face as she gently caressed her daughter's cheek with her index finger.

"Coraline, my daughter, you are so perfect and beautiful." She whispered. "Please forgive me for even thinking about destroying you."

The child, who had a green complexion that matched her father's and had her mother's violet hair and indigo eyes, detached from her mother's nipple and yawned, falling asleep in her arms.

"Let me take her." Arella whispered.

Raven handed the child to her mother, who turned around and handed her to Rita.

"I still can't believe we're grandmothers." Rita whispered before kissing the child's forehead.

Raven lowered her shirt, covering her exposed breast, and rose from the chair. Gar and Mento entered the room together.

"What do you think dad?" He asked his adoptive father.

Mento stared at the baby in Rita's arms.

"She has her mother's eyes." He replied. "I wonder what powers she's inherited."

"Oh Steve, is that all you can think of?" Rita softly chided him.

"Someone has to run the Doom Patrol after we retire." He chuckled.

_**-( scene break )-**_

_In a dungeon on one of the swamp moons of Drenthax IV …_

Two solitary figures sat on chairs, opposite each other, playing Chess.

Adam Cutler moved his Knight.

"Checkmate"

His opponent protested in a voice that sounded like a cow with flatulence.

"I didn't cheat; you're just a lousy Chess player."

The Schlurch protested again, making even more flatulent sounds.

"It's not my fault you never played chess before, Glgrdsklechhh. If you want some other activity, you can ask her."

As if on cue, the cell door opened and Blackfire entered the dismal cell.

"If it isn't my two hubbies. Are you having fun playing together?"

The green ooze monster protested loudly, and Cutler pinched his nose.

"Must you provoke him? He can stink up the place when he gets upset! And you know that since you were married to him when had our little ceremony, it makes our marriage null and void.

"Not here it doesn't." She grinned evilly. "The Grand Schlurch, that being me, is allowed to have as many spouses as she desires."

Glgrdsklechhh protested again with more flatulence.

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser, hubby. You did offer me your hand when I was banished by my sister, and you were overjoyed when I reconsidered later and accepted. You should have known I would double cross you and take over Drenthax."

"You're a real piece of work Blackfire, so do you just marry anyone that is convenient for your plan of galactic conquest."

"Sure … why not?" She laughed.

"Why are you keeping us here? You can't possibly like either of us as a mate."

Blackfire sauntered over the Cutler, and sat down next to him.

"That goes without saying; I want someone else, someone more … desirable. And the two of you are going to help me catch him."

"And you'll let us go after that?"

She smiled slyly.

"Sure, why not?"

Cutler brightened upon hearing the vague promise.

"So, who is it that you really want?"

Blackfire rose from her chair and walked back to the cell door, which was guarded by two Tamaranian soldiers.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"When it comes to you, nothing is."

Blackfire laughed.

"I want my brother-in-law."

**TO BE CONTINUED?**

No promises on a part 2. In my experience, mine always stink, but who knows?

As for what's next on my plate, I have two unfinished stories: 8 Years Later and Deathstroke the Terminator. Let me know which one you would prefer that I finish first.


End file.
